Sharon Redd -

Sharon Redd (1945–1992) was an American soul-funk singer who served in Bette Midler‘s backing trio The Harlettes (1973–77) and sang on Seventies titles by Barry Manilow and Norman Connors. On Prelude, she cut the 1980–83 solo albums Sharon Redd, Red Hott, and Love How You Feel. She scored Billboard dance hits with “Can You Handle It,” “Beat the Street,” “Love How You Feel,” and “Liar on the Wire,” and reached the UK Top 30 with “Never Give You Up” and “In the Name of Love.”

Background

Sharon Redd was born on October 19, 1945, in Norfolk, Virginia; the second child of Katherine and Gene Clarence Redd JR.

Gene played vibes and trumpet in the 1950s-era Earl Bostic Orchestra. He later worked as an A&R for King Records, a Cincinnati R&B label. His second wife, gospel singer Carol Ford, bore Sharon a half-sister, Penny Ford (b. 1964), who cut two albums between 1984 and 1993 and sang with the German Eurodance group Snap!

Sharon’s older brother, pianist Clarence Eugene Redd III, wrote and arranged Fifties doo-wop singles by The Fi-Tones and The Five Chimes. He later supplied Seventies-era material for Tamiko Jones, Melvin Sparks, and Kool & The Gang.

Early Credits

Sharon Redd debuted with the April 1967 single “Half as Much,” a Hank Williams cover backed with “I’ve Got a Feeling,” co-written by Lou Stallman and producer Bobby Susser for Veep Records, a subsidiary of United Artists.

Redd’s song-and-dance skills impressed talent scouts for the Australian production of the counter-cultural rock musical Hair. Along with fellow African-American singer/actress Marcia Hines, agents flew Sharon down under for the Sydney production. Redd performed in the June 6, 1969, premiere of Hair and remained with the cast for 22 months. In April 1971, the Australian Immigration Department ordered her back to the US. (Hine remained in Australia and achieved local fame as a soul/pop singer.)

In 1973, Redd sang backing vocals on albums by Bloontz, Bonnie Raitt, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, and Lyn Christopher (an early Kiss benefactor). Midler assigned Redd to her vocal backing trio, The Harlettes. Meanwhile, Redd acted in productions of Ti-Jean and His Brothers and The Wedding of Iphigenia.

The Harlettes

Redd spent four years with the Harlettes, which also featured Ula Hedwig and Charlotte Crossley (an original Broadway cast member of Jesus Christ Superstar). They sang on Midler’s 1976 third studio album Songs for the New Depression and her 1977 two-record concert recording Live at Last.

Elsewhere, Redd (along with Phyllis Hyman and Tasha Thomas) backed Norman Connors on his 1976 album You Are My Starship. She also appeared as Sherrye in a Season Three arc of the CBS sitcom Rhoda and backed singer Carol Douglas on her 1977 third album Full Bloom.

In 1978, Redd, Hedwig, and Crossley left Midler and cut the girl-group album Formerly of the Harlettes, released on CBS/Columbia. They also appeared in the all-star finale of the Bee Gees‘ musical adaptation of The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Meanwhile, producer Corry Robbins picked Redd for the 12″ single “Love Insurance” (b/w “You Got My Love”), released as Front Page in July 1979 on Panorama Records, a subsidiary of MCA. Though not credited on the original release, it established her on the Northeast disco scene and landed her a contract with Prelude Records, the dance division of Unidisc.

Sharon Redd (album)

Sharon Redd released her self-titled debut album in 1980 on Prelude.

The album balances post-disco club rhythms with the continuation of late ’70s soul, reflecting the early-’80s urban sound. Willie Lester co-wrote “You Stayed on My Mind” and the first two tracks on each side with arranger Rodney Brown. Leon Ware co-wrote “It’s a Lie” with multimedia artist Allee Willis.

“You Got My Love” and “Can You Handle It” drive the record with energetic post-disco pacing and angular vocal phrasing, while “Try My Love on for Size” continues in a lively vein. Ballads such as “Leaving You Is Easier Said Than Done” and “You Stayed on My Mind” allow Redd to display her vocal range, and the mid-tempo “Love Is Gonna Get Ya” maintains rhythmic consistency with a more relaxed flow.

A1. “You Got My Love” (5:52) – Opens with a pulsing rhythm and bright instrumentation, the lyrics pledging devotion while urging release through movement and desire.
A2. “Can You Handle It” (6:26) – A declaration of confidence framed as a challenge, with steady pacing and layered vocals amplifying the invitation to surrender to intensity.
A3. “It’s a Lie” (5:40) – Lyrics confront dishonesty in romance, delivered with clipped phrasing and underscored by a taut instrumental backdrop.

B1. “Try My Love on for Size” (5:06) – A playful proposition where affection is cast as an offer to be tested, its momentum carried by interlocked rhythm guitar and brass.
B2. “Leaving You Is Easier Said Than Done” (3:51) – A ballad that frames separation as an unresolved struggle, the contoured vocal line dwelling on the tension between resolve and longing.
B3. “Love Is Gonna Get Ya” (4:56) – Mid-tempo and insistent, the song personifies love as a force of pursuit, unavoidable despite hesitation.
B4. “You Stayed on My Mind” (5:38) – Closing ballad where the lyrics dwell on lingering attachment, carried by a restrained pace and reflective delivery.

Core backing players include guitarist Rodney Brown, bassist James Brown and Jerry Wilder, drummer Steve Walker, percussionist Carl Lacey, keyboardists Al Johnson (synthesizer) and Kevin Toney (piano), rhythm guitarist Theodore “Sugarbear” Jones, and background vocalists Bobby Thurston, Roland Clark, and Sass.

Sessions occurred at Bias Studios in Falls Church, Virginia, with producers Willie Lester and Rodney Brown and engineer Bob Dawson. Bob Dawson and Rodney Brown mixed the album. François Kevorkian applied additional editing and mixing to the lead cuts, heightening their club impact.

Prelude released the album with artwork by Trudy Schlachter, showing Redd with outstretched arms beneath a rainbow.

Prelude promoted the album with the single “You Got My Love” (b/w “Leaving You Is Easier Said Than Done”) and followed with “Can You Handle It” (b/w “You Stayed on My Mind”); the 12″ featuring both tracks reached No. 5 on the Billboard Club Play chart.

Later reissues on CD added alternate mixes and radio edits of “You Got My Love” and “Can You Handle It.”

Redd Hott

Sharon Redd released her second album, Redd Hott, in 1982 on Prelude.

The album extends her post-disco and urban contemporary style with electronic textures and programmed rhythms, while retaining warmth and soulfulness from her self-titled debut.

Core backing players include vocalists Carole Sylvan and Jocelyn Smith, with string and horn arrangements by Jay Leon and production/musicianship led by Eric Matthew and Darryl Payne, the songwriting team behind the first four tracks.

The album opens with the percussive, electronically driven “Never Give You Up,” followed by the funk-tinged “You’re the One” and the bass-led mid-tempo “Send Your Love.” “Beat the Street” pairs a driving rhythm with lyrics urging escape from gang life, while “In the Name of Love” layers strings over a strident rhythm for a passionate vocal display. “Takin’ a Chance on Love” explores the uncertainties of romance, and the final track, “We’re Friends Again,” closes with smooth, reflective vocals, demonstrating Redd’s versatility across electronic and ballad-driven settings.

A1. “Never Give You Up” (7:00) – Opens with layered percussion and bright electronic textures, its lyrics promising unwavering commitment even in the face of doubt.
A2. “You’re the One” (6:20) – A declaration of certainty in love, delivered over a steady pace and accented with sharp instrumental turns that underline its insistence.
A3. “Send Your Love” (6:57) – A mid-tempo track where affection is framed as an active gift, the vocal phrasing stretching across expansive bass lines and intricate rhythmic detail.

B1. “Beat the Street” (5:40) – Lyrics address life on the street with urgency, urging escape from violence and hardship, carried by a relentless rhythm that mimics forward motion.
B2. “In the Name of Love” (6:30) – Anchored by a strident rhythm and soaring strings, the song treats devotion as a cause worth defending, delivered with fervent intensity. (Redd, Ricky Williams)
B3. “Takin’ a Chance on Love” (5:02) – A reflective piece where love is described as risk and renewal, supported by gentle rhythm and string flourishes that frame the vulnerability of its message. (Redd, Matthew, Ruth Carson, and Gene Redd)
B4. “We’re Friends Again” (4:43) – Closing with reconciliation, the lyrics portray the healing of strained bonds, sung with smooth restraint over a softened pace. (Redd, Matthew)

Sessions occurred at Eric Matthew Studios with producers Eric Matthew and Darryl Payne, who also engineered and mixed the album.

Prelude promoted the album with the singles “Beat the Street” (b/w instrumental version) and “Never Give You Up” (b/w “In the Name of Love”), with “Beat the Street” reaching No. 41 on the Billboard R&B chart and “Never Give You Up” peaking at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

Love How You Feel

Sharon Redd released her third album, Love How You Feel, in 1983 on Prelude.

The album emphasizes electronic production and programmed rhythms, further reducing live instrumentation compared with Redd Hott. Core backing players include vocalists Carole Sylvan and Jocelyn Smith, with Eric Matthew on piano, synthesizer, guitar, and Linn drum programming, overseeing production throughout.

Matthew wrote four tracks and collaborated with Redd and Scott Nesbitt on “You’re a Winner,” “Liar on the Wire,” and “Somebody Save the Night.”

The record opens with the extended, electronically driven “Activate,” followed by the collaborative “You’re a Winner” and the bass-focused “Got Ya’ Where I Want.” “Liar on the Wire” and “Somebody Save the Night” feature Redd’s voice layered with echo over programmed rhythms, creating a distant, spacious sound. “Sweet Sensation” provides a slithery mid-tempo rhythm, and the title track “Love How You Feel” closes the album with a more conventional vocal focus.

A1. “Activate” (8:30)
A2. “You’re a Winner” (6:40)
A3. “Got Ya’ Where I Want” (7:26)

B1. “Liar on the Wire” (5:18)
B2. “Sweet Sensation” (6:30)
B3. “Somebody Save the Night” (6:55)
B4. “Love How You Feel” (4:06)

Sessions occurred at Eric Matthew Studios with Eric Matthew producing, performing, and programming drums, and Herb Powers Jr. mastering the final mixes at Frankford Wayne.

Prelude promoted the album with the single “Love How You Feel” (b/w instrumental version). Alternate mixes of select tracks appeared on later CD reissues.

Discography: