Charlene (singer)
| Charlene | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo |
| Born | June 1, 1950 |
| Origin | Hollywood, California |
| Genres | Country, pop, traditional pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Motown |
| Associated acts | Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye |
| Website | http://CharleneSongs.com |
Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo Oliver (born June 1, 1950, Hollywood, California) is an American R&B singer best known as Charlene. She is known mainly for her 1982 popular song "I've Never Been to Me."
She was born as Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo, which was later shortened to Charlene for her record label. In 1973, Charlene signed with Motown under the name "Charlene Duncan", and released her first (and unsuccessful) single "All That Love Went to Waste" in January 1974. Three years later, she released a second album, It Ain't Easy Comin' Down, on Motown's Prodigal label. The release was credited to Charlene, although an album issued the same month had "Charlene Duncan" printed on the spine (and was, confusingly, titled Charlene). Another 1977 album, Songs of Love, was a repackaging of her song "I've Never Been to Me", which omitted a spoken bridge. She released the single in 1977, but it had little success, reaching #97 on the pop chart.
Charlene recorded "I've Never Been to Me" in 1976, and the single reached #97 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1977. When released again in 1982, the single reached #3 in the United States, and #1 by June 1982, in the UK Singles Chart. The song has been her only Top 40 hit.
In 1982, Tampa, Florida, disc jockey Scott Shannon, then at WRBQ-FM, started playing the song at the behest of a girlfriend, by which time Charlene had lost her recording contract, moved to England and was working in a sweetshop in Ilford near London. Audience reaction was impressive, resulting in the song's second release with the original spoken bridge. The second release was a hit in Britain as well.
When the song was released in the US in 1976, Charlene's legal name was Charlene Duncan from her marriage to record producer Larry Duncan; by the time the song was released in 1982, her name was Charlene Oliver by her subsequent marriage to Englishman Jeff Oliver. The single reached the top ten of the US pop and adult contemporary charts that year, and the concurrent release of her album I've Never Been to Me, was also relatively successful. The single was one of the year's biggest hits, and the video for the song was filmed at Blickling Hall, Norfolk, England, and Charlene wore the wedding dress that she got married in.
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