Minnie Riperton, singer of Billboard chart-topper “Lovin’ You,” left her stamp on music with her five-octave vocal range and angelic stage presence. She made waves in soul, even as she battled against the breast cancer that took her life at age 31.
Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago’s South Side. At Lincoln Center, she dabbled in acting, dancing and music before focusing on opera. Her wide vocal range was perfected with training from Marion Jeffery.
Riperton worked at Chess Records as a receptionist after completing high school. Her talent earned her a position as a backup singer for rock and roll pioneers Chucky Berry and Bo Diddley, among other superstars, while working at Chess.
Though short-lived, Riperton’s first big break came as the lead singer of the all-girl band The Gems at age 15. Despite the band’s underwhelming reception, the group’s members found success singing background vocals for popular artists, under the group name Studio Three.
Riperton experimented with psychedelic soul music as lead singer of Rotary Connection. The multiracial group became underground favorites with their self-titled debut album in 1967. Rotary Connection released six albums in total before their disbandment following their record “Hey, Love.”
Riperton came into her own as a solo artist with “Come to My Garden,” her 1970 debut album. She performed several tracks from the solo release at London House in Chicago. Despite raving critical acclaim, the album was a commercial disappointment.
Riperton and her husband Richard Rudolph briefly relocated to Florida for a two-year break from the music industry. Her return was triumphant.
Soon after Riperton moved to Los Angeles, Stevie Wonder recognized the young talent and invited her to join his group of backup singers, and sing on his seventeenth studio album Fulfillingness’ First Finale.
Riperton’s second solo album Perfect Angel rocketed her to soul music stardom. The smash hit single “Lovin’ You” was created to soothe her daughter, future Saturday Night Live member Maya Rudolph. The song reached incredible heights of popularity, conquering the 1975 Billboard charts.
Riperton’s follow-up albums Adventures in Paradise and Stay in Love solidified her position as a whistle-tone powerhouse.
The stage rained flowers when Riperton opened for singer David Clayton Thomas at the Troubadour.
“As soon as Minnie got done with the show, a couple of people in the audience picked up the flower and threw ‘em on the stage,” said manager Jack Kellman in “Unsung,” a documentary series. “And all of a sudden, hundreds of flowers were flying on the stage. People were going nuts.”
Riperton faced a harrowing diagnosis when her doctors advised a mastectomy to combat her breast cancer. Following the surgery, her estimated lifespan was six months.
Riperton took the hardship in stride. She publicly discussed her diagnosis—which was virtually unheard of and potentially career-killing for celebrity women—and advocated for American Cancer Society.
Following the release of her final album “Minnie” and a haunting performance of her single “Memory Lane” on The Mike Douglas Show, Riperton died in July of 1979.
Maya Rudolph’s daughter Pearl asked what her grandmother does in heaven.
“Well, I guess she sings,” said Rudolph in “Unsung.”
