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Shirley Brown began singing in a St. Louis
church in at the age of 10. By the time
she’d reached her late teens, Shirley’s
growing reputation as a powerful soloist
resulted in a local label’s offer to record
her as a soul singer. Her debut discs caught
the attention of Albert King who got her a
deal with Stax Records in Memphis. Her very
first Stax release, “Woman to Woman,”
quickly became a massive hit in 1975, and
was actually the last hit for the Stax
label. In fact, sales from Shirley’s Grammy
nominated smash delayed Stax’s bankruptcy
for several months.
After Stax’s demise, Shirley was one of
Clive Davis’s first signings to his new
company, Arista Records. However, her Arista
releases met with disappointing sales, as
did her output for her next label, 20th
Century. After a few years in the
wilderness, Shirley signed with Malaco
Records and has since enjoyed respectable if
not spectacular success.
‘Intimate Storm’ was produced and written by
Homer Banks and Chuck Brooks for their Soundtown label
in 1984, spawning four R&B chart songs,
including "This Used To Be Your House,"
which cracked the Top 40.
LocoBop’s resurrection of this great album
highlights Shirley’s inimitable voice
performing eight wonderfully soulful songs.
Highlights: THIS LOVE, THIS USED TO BE
YOUR HOUSE, and
LEAVE THE BRIDGES STANDING. |
