Telma Hopkins
| Telma Hopkins | |
|---|---|
Hopkins in 2008
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| Born |
Telma Louise Hopkins October 28, 1948 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Spouse(s) | Donald B. Allen (m. 1970–77) (one son) |
Telma Louise Hopkins (born October 28, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence as a member of the 1970s pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn, which had several number one songs. She also performed on the CBS variety show Tony Orlando and Dawn from 1974 to 1976 along with Tony Orlando and Joyce Vincent Wilson.
In late 1970s, Hopkins began working as actress, playing roles on various sitcoms, including Bosom Buddies (1980–82), Gimme a Break! (1983–87) and Family Matters (1989–1997) as Rachel. As lead actress, she starred on Getting By from 1993 to 1994. In later years, Hopkins was regular cast member on Half & Half (2002–06), Are We There Yet? (2010–13), and short-lived Partners (2014). In film, she co-starred in 1984 science fiction film Trancers and in its sequels Trancers II (1991) and Trancers III (1992), and well as appeared in The Wood (1999) and The Love Guru (2008).
Hopkins started her career as a background singer in Detroit, Michigan, singing on many of the Golden World and Motown hits and working with legendary acts like The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye. She also sang back up for Isaac Hayes and can be heard famously exclaiming "Shut your mouth!" on Hayes' hit song "Theme From Shaft" as well as the hip hop track "Thuggish Ruggish Bone". In 1971, Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson were recruited by Tony Orlando to form the vocal group Dawn. (Orlando had released the singles "Candida" and "Knock Three Times", recorded with session vocalists Linda November and Toni Wine backing him, under the name Dawn; when the singles charted, Orlando found himself needing to assemble an actual backing group to tour and record with.) As a recording act, Tony Orlando and Dawn would have much success throughout the second half of the 1970s, releasing 16 top-40 singles, three of which reached #1, and starring in a CBS variety show (entitled Tony Orlando and Dawn) from 1974 to 1976. In 1977, Tony Orlando and Dawn announced their retirement.
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