Timi Yuro

Timi Yuro
Timi Yuro in 1965
Background information
Birth name	Rosemary Timothy Yuro
Born	(1940-08-04)August 4, 1940 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2004(2004-03-30) (aged 63) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Genres	Soul, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1961 – early 1980s
Labels	Liberty, Mercury

Rosemary Timothy Yuro (August 4, 1940 – March 30, 2004), professionally known as Timi Yuro, was an American singer and songwriter. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice," she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul stylists of the rock era. According to one critic, "her deep, strident, almost masculine voice, staggered delivery and the occasional sob created a compelling musical presence." Yuro possessed a contralto vocal range.

Rosemary Yuro was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1940, into an Italian-American family whose original name may have been Aurro. By the time of her birth, however, the family used the spelling Yuro. In 1952, young Rosemary moved with her family to Los Angeles, where she sang in her parents' Italian restaurant and, despite their opposition, in local nightclubs before catching the eye and ear of talent scout Sonny Knight. Signed to Liberty Records in 1959, she had a U.S. Billboard No. 4 single in 1961 with "Hurt", an R&B ballad that had been an early success for Roy Hamilton. Yuro's recording was produced by Clyde Otis, who had previously worked with Brook Benton and Dinah Washington. Later that year she recorded as a duo with Johnnie Ray. She charted some further minor hits including "Smile" (No. 42), opened for Frank Sinatra on his 1962 tour of Australia, and received a 1962 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of 1961 (losing to Peter Nero).