Lorraine Ellison

Birth name: Marybelle Luraine Ellison
Born: March 17, 1931 (Philadelphia, U.S.)
Died: January 31, 1983 (aged 51)

Born Marybelle Luraine Ellison, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ellison originally sang with two gospel groups, the Ellison Singers and the Golden Chords, before moving to R&B in 1964. Her first chart entry was with a cover of Jerry Butler’s «I Dig You Baby» in 1965, on Mercury Records. Ellison also recorded «Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)», a song later covered to more success by Janis Joplin.

She signed with Warner Bros. Records, and in 1966 recorded the soul classic «Stay with Me» at a last minute booking, following a studio cancellation by Frank Sinatra. «Stay with Me» reached number 11 in the U.S. R&B chart and number 64 in the pop chart. The song was written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy. Later releases were on the subsidiary soul music record label, Loma. Her follow-up single was «Heart Be Still» a minor hit in 1967.

Twice-married and using the surname Gonzalez-Keys, Lorraine Ellison gave up the music business in order to take care of her mother, before her death in January 1983 from ovarian cancer at the age of 51.
Album discography
* Heart and Soul - 1966 - Warner
* Stay with Me - 1969
* Lorraine Ellison - 1974
* The Best of Philadelphia’s Queen - 1976 - Compilation album
* Stay with Me: The Best of Lorraine Ellison - 1995 - Compilation album
* Sister Love: The Warner Bros. Recordings - 2006 - Compilation album