Lydia Pense
| |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lydia Jane Pense |
| Born | (1947-12-14) December 14, 1947 (age 76) |
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Rock, Urban contemporary, Blue-eyed soul, East Bay Grease |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Reprise (1972); Warner Bros. Records (1974); ABC (1976); Dig Music (2005) |
Lydia Pense (born Lydia Jane Pense in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1947) [1] is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who, since 1969, has performed with the band Cold Blood. Critics have compared her style to powerful singers including Janis Joplin[2] and Aretha Franklin.
Lydia Pense was born in San Francisco on December 14, 1947, and lived there until age 10 until the family moved to Redwood City, California.[3] At age 14, while attending Sequoia High School, Pense started singing with a band called The Dimensions, with Guitarist Fred Tatman, Larry Hatch and Kerry Yates.[3] She was a fan of Brenda Lee and was singing her songs, but the band encouraged her to sing R&B in the style of James Brown, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles.
Janis Joplin had recommended Lydia Pense to music promoter Bill Graham to audition for the band Cold Blood .[2] Lydia joined Cold Blood in 1968 and the band was one of the earliest music groups to be signed by Bill Graham's Fillmore Records.[4]
The band Cold Blood separated in the late 1970s. Pense suspended her music career in the early 1980s to raise her daughter Danielle, before re-forming the group in 1988.[5] The band continues to record, tour and perform.
Their initial four albums, Cold Blood, Sisyphus, First Taste of Sin (produced by Donny Hathaway), and Thriller remain their best known work.
| Year | Album name | Band | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Cold Blood | Cold Blood | |
| 1971 | Sisyphus | Cold Blood | [6] |
| 1972 | Lights Out San Francisco (Voco Presents The Soul Of The Bay Area) | Various artists | Performed with the band Tower of Power.[7] |
| 1972 | First Taste of Sin | Cold Blood | |
| 1973 | Thriller | Cold Blood | |
| 1974 | Lydia | Cold Blood | |
| 1975 | The Best of Cold Blood | Cold Blood | |
| 1976 | Lydia Pense & Cold Blood | Lydia Pense and Cold Blood | this was the last album before the band's hiatus.[5] |
| 2001 | Vintage Blood: Live! 1973 | Live album | |
| 2005 | Transfusion | Lydia Pense and Cold Blood | |
| 2008 | Lydia Pense & Cold Blood: Live Blood "Live Album" | Lydia Pense and Cold Blood | |
| 2011 | The River City Sessions | Lydia Pense and Cold Blood | |
| 2015 | Soul Of The Gypsy | Lydia Pense and Cold Blood | [8] |
Authority control databases: Artists  |
|
|---|
  | This article about a United States rhythm and blues singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
