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Angela Bofill

Angela Tomasa Bofill (May 2, 1954 – June 13, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter and composer of Cuban-Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, she began her professional career in the mid-1970s[2] and is most known for singles such as "This Time I'll Be Sweeter", "Angel of the Night", and "I Try". Her career spanned over four decades.

Angela Bofill
Bofill in 1996
Bofill in 1996
Background information
Birth nameAngela Tomasa Bofill
Born(1954-05-02)May 2, 1954
New York City, U.S.
OriginThe Bronx, New York City
DiedJune 13, 2024(2024-06-13) (aged 70)
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
InstrumentVocals
Years active1973–2006
Labels
Websiteangelabofill.com

Early life and education

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Angela Tomasa Bofill was born on May 2, 1954, in the Brooklyn area of New York City[3] to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother.[4] Raised in The Bronx, Bofill grew up listening to Latin music and was also inspired by American performers. During Bofill's childhood, her weekends were taken up studying classical music and singing in New York City's All City Chorus, which featured the best singers from all of the high schools in the five boroughs.[5] She attended Hunter College High School, graduating in 1972.[6] Bofill later studied at the Manhattan School of Music, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in 1976.[7]

Career

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Bofill began her professional career, singing during her teenage years. Bofill performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus before being introduced to Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen of the jazz label GRP Records by Dave Valentin, her friend and jazz flautist.[8] Grusin and Rosen signed Bofill and produced her first album, Angie, in 1978. Angie was well received both critically and commercially and included the chart single "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" (co-written by Gwen Guthrie and Haras Fyre), and Bofill's sprawling jazz composition, "Under the Moon and Over the Sky". Less than a year later, a second album, Angel of the Night was released and outperformed its predecessor. The album included the chart singles "What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)" and the up-tempo title track, as well as the song "I Try", written by Bofill and covered by Will Downing in 1991. The reception of these albums positioned Bofill as one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B and jazz markets.[9]

Bofill performed a sold-out concert at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the Newport Jazz Festival on June 20, 1980.  Her musical director was Onaje Allen Gumbs, keyboards, Sammy Figueroa, percussion, a 9-piece band and guests including Steve Khan, guitar, Eddie Daniels, tenor sax and flute, and a 24-voice choir.[10]

Clive Davis, the head of Arista Records, showed interest in Bofill. Arista had a distribution deal with GRP. Bofill switched labels for her next album, Something About You (1981). Produced by Narada Michael Walden, the album was an attempt to move Bofill into mainstream R&B and pop music. It didn't perform as well as previous releases, despite the singles "Holdin' Out for Love" and the title track, which both reached the R&B Top 40.[11] The following year, Bofill and Walden reunited for Too Tough. The title song reached No. 5 on the R&B chart and spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Dance chart. A follow-up single, "Tonight I Give In", reached the Top 20.[12] Several months later, Bofill released her final collaboration with Walden, Teaser. The album failed to match the success of Too Tough but did produce one Top 20 R&B hit, "I'm On Your Side", which has been covered by several artists, most notably Jennifer Holliday, who had a Top 10 hit with it in 1991.[12]

Bofill recorded two more albums for Arista with the help of The System and George Duke before leaving the label in the mid-1980s. Following the birth of her daughter, she moved to Capitol Records and the producer Norman Connors for Intuition (1988), which produced her last significant chart success, a cover of Gino Vannelli's "I Just Wanna Stop", which reached No. 11 on the R&B chart. She recorded three more albums over the next eight years and provided backing vocals on albums for Diana Ross and Kirk Whalum and for Connors's Eternity (2000). She performed live (with a sizable audience internationally, particularly in Asia) and appeared in the stage plays God Don't Like Ugly and What a Man Wants, What a Man Needs. She also toured the U.S. and Europe in multi-artist jazz shows.[11]

Bofill returned to the stage, at the suggestion of Engel, for "The Angela Bofill Experience" after losing her ability to sing after her second stroke in 2007. In the show, Bofill recounted her life and career and was joined by Maysa Leak, Phil Perry, and Melba Moore, who performed her biggest hits and signature songs. In 2012, Bofill was profiled and interviewed for the TVOne documentary series, Unsung.[13][11]

In 2023, Bofill was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.[14]

Personal life

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Bofill was married to farmer Richard Vincent from 1984 until 1994 and together they have a daughter named Shauna, born in November 1984.[15]

Health problems and death

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Bofill suffered a stroke on January 10, 2006, and was paralyzed on her left side. She convalesced at Sutter Hospital in Santa Rosa, California, and was released from intensive care on January 15, requiring speech and physical therapy. Bofill lacked health insurance, and a benefit concert was organized to pay her hospital bills.

The show was planned by Rich Engel, her manager, and the New York radio stations Kiss FM and WFAN-FM. It took place on March 11, 2006, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey. Similar events followed, and other aid was sought from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Her album Live from Manila (recorded in September 2004) was released during this time. Bofill suffered a second stroke in July 2007, which required therapy and left both her speech and mobility impaired.

She died on June 13, 2024, at the age of 70 at her daughter's home in Vallejo, California. Bofill's funeral mass was held on June 28, 2024 at St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Benicia, California.[16][17]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Album Chart positions Record label
US
[12] 		US
R&B
[12] 		US
Jazz
[12] 		Canada
[18]
1978 Angie 47 20 5 69 GRP/Arista
1979 Angel of the Night 34 10 2 —
1981 Something About You 61 13 4 — Arista
1983 Too Tough 40 6 — —
Teaser 81 20 21 —
1984 Let Me Be the One — 39 — —
1985 Tell Me Tomorrow — 53 — —
1988 Intuition — 38 — — Capitol
1993 I Wanna Love Somebody — 51 — — Jive
1996 Love in Slow Motion — — — — Shanachie
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Live albums

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Year Album Chart positions Record label
US US
R&B
2006 Live from Manila — — Black Angel
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Compilation albums

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Year Album Chart positions Record label
US US
R&B
1986 The Best of Angela Bofill — — Arista
1991 The Best of Angie: Next Time I'll Be Sweeter — —
1999 The Definitive Collection — —
2003 Platinum & Gold Collection — —
2004 The Best of Angela Bofill — — BMG
2014 The Essential Angela Bofill — — RCA, Sony Legacy
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

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Year Single Chart positions Album
US
[12] 		US
R&B
[12] 		US
A/C
[12] 		US
Dance
[12] 		NL
[19]
1979 "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" 104 23 39 — — Angie
"What I Wouldn't Do (For the Love of You)" — 18 — — — Angel of the Night
1980 "Angel of the Night" — 67 — — —
1981 "Something About You" — 21 — — — Something About You
1982 "Holdin' Out for Love" — 26 — — 32
"Break It to Me Gently" — — — — —
1983 "Too Tough" — 5 — 2 — Too Tough
"Tonight I Give In" — 12 — — —
"I'm on Your Side" — 20 — — — Teaser
1984 "Special Delivery" — 65 — 34 —
"Can't Slow Down" — 59 — 15 — Let Me Be the One
1985 "Let Me Be the One" — 84 — — —
"Who Knows You Better" — — — — —
"Tell Me Tomorrow" — 72 — — — Tell Me Tomorrow
1986 "I Don't Wanna Come Down (From Love)" — — — — —
"Still in Love" — — — — —
1988 "I Just Wanna Stop" — 11 — — — Intuition
1989 "Love Is in Your Eyes" — — — — —
1992 "Love Was Never" (with Marion Meadows & Gene Rice) — 70 — — — Keep It Right There
1993 "I Wanna Love Somebody" — — — — — I Wanna Love Somebody
"Heavenly Love" — — — — —
"—" denotes the single failed to chart

Awards

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Other media appearances

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  • Friends in Love, 1983 Philippine film where she sang "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" with Sharon Cuneta. They had a reunion duet and sang the same hit song in 2000, while Bofill was promoting another Manila concert.[20]
  • Soul Train, Saturday May 28, 1983[21]
  • The Pat Sajak Show, January 26, 1989

References

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  1. ^ Carpenter, Bill. "Angela Bofill - Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Rockwell, John (February 22, 1980). "The New York Times, Pop Music: Angela Bofill, February 22, 1980". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Smooth Jazz New York Angela Bofill Experience Concert with Maysa, Alex Bugnon and Kim Waters
  4. ^ Bofill, Angela. "Interview with Angela from TV show Unsung". Unsung. TV One. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  5. ^ Starr, Terrell Jermaine (June 3, 2013). "Angela Bofill Continues to Entertain, Even Without Her Signature Voice". NewsOne.
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 5, 1982). "Angela Bofill brings her special blend to the Savoy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Angela Bofill Biography". musicianguide.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "Angela Bofill 2012 interview". SoulMusic.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 5, 1982). "POP JAZZ (Published 1982)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Billboard (PDF). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 19, 1980. pp. 28, 76. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Angela Bofill profile". Soultracks.com. May 5, 2007. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i "US Charts > Angela Bofill". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  13. ^ Brown, DeNeen L. (January 31, 2011). "Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous". Washington Post.
  14. ^ "3RD Annual Women Songwriters Hall Of Fame Awards Celebrates Icons - Jan Daley Angela Bofill Ann Hampton Callaway". Ein Presswire. April 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Moody, Shelah (December 6, 2007). "Angela Bofill benefit to feature Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana". SFGATE. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "R&B Vocalist Angela Bofill Reportedly Passes Away at 70". WFXC. June 14, 2024. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Haring, Bruce (June 15, 2024). "Angela Bofill Dies: Hit Singer For 'I Try' And 'Angel Of The Night' Was 70". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - May 26, 1979" (PDF).
  19. ^ "Dutch Charts > Angela Bofill" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Pat Sajak Show Season 1 Episode 14 – January 26, 1989". TV.com.
  21. ^ "Soul Train Season 12 Episode 17 – Aired Saturday May 28, 1983". TV.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
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