Gwen McCrae, Singer Who Helped Open the Dance Floor to Disco, Dies at 81

New York Times

08-03-2025

Gwen McCrae, whose gospel-infused R&B hits of the early 1970s like 'Lead Me On' and 'Rockin' Chair' featured bouncing, dance-floor-friendly grooves that helped open the door to disco, died on Feb. 21 in Miami. She was 81.
Her former husband and frequent singing partner, George McCrae, said she died in a care facility from complications of a stroke she had in 2012.
Though she had her share of nationwide hits, Ms. McCrae was best known on the music scene in the Miami area, where her upbeat R&B fit perfectly with the hot nights and subtropical vibe.
She released most of her best-known songs through TK Records, a regional powerhouse founded by Henry Stone that counted other proto-disco acts, like Betty Wright and KC and the Sunshine Band, among its stable.
She began performing with Mr. McCrae as a duo. They recorded their own albums, sang backup on others and carved a presence for themselves in the clubs of South Florida.
They also performed separately, and Ms. McCrae's repertoire was not limited to dance songs. On her own, she was the first person to release a version of the ballad 'You Were Always on My Mind,' in 1972; sometimes shortened to 'Always on My Mind,' it was later recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and the Pet Shop Boys.
'She was an amazing talent,' Harry Wayne Casey, a songwriter at TK Records and the lead singer of KC and the Sunshine Band, said in an interview. 'She had one of the most soulful voices I've ever heard.'
After the worldwide success of Mr. McCrae's signature hit, 'Rock Your Baby,' in 1974, Ms. McCrae recorded her own hit the next year: 'Rockin' Chair,' a sensual, swinging tune that topped the Billboard R&B chart and reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 pop chart.
There was some dispute over how the two came to record their respective songs. Ms. McCrae later said that Mr. Casey and Richard Finch had written 'Rock Your Baby' for her, but that she had given it to her husband to help his career — and then asked for her own hit song once his went big.
But Mr. McCrae had a different spin: Their marriage was on the rocks, he said, and she had given him 'Rock Your Baby' in a bid to keep them together.
Regardless, their marriage did not last. They divorced a year later.
After TK Records closed in 1981, she moved to New York City and signed with Atlantic, where she had a minor hit with 'Funky Sensation' in 1981 and recorded two albums.
Though her career had begun to slow in the post-disco era, she found a new fan base in Europe, especially in Britain, where the discovery of classic American soul — sometimes called 'rare groove' — was underway in the 1980s.
She recorded new songs and rerecorded old ones for regional markets, and she found a steady stream of singing gigs over the next few decades. D.J.s and hip-hop artists sampled her songs. She became known as the 'queen of rare groove' across Britain and Europe.
'When I went overseas, I didn't know people loved me so much. They really loved my old stuff,' she said in a 1996 interview with a Swedish journalist, adding, 'Yeah, I was shocked!'
Gwendolyn Patricia Mosley was born on Dec. 21, 1943, in Pensacola, Fla. Her father, Aaron, died when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, Winnie (Lee) Mosley.
She began singing gospel songs in church and aspired to make religious singing her career. Even later in her career, when she was belting out disco tracks filled with double entendres, she found it uncomfortable to be too explicit.
'I had the worst time singing 'Damn Right It's Good,'' she told Ms. Granditsky, referring to a song she released in 1976. 'I sang like 'Darn right it's good, you better knock on wood'; I could not sing 'Damn right it's good.' And I still can hardly say it. It ain't me!'
She met George McCrae in 1963, when he was stationed in Pensacola with the U.S. Navy. They married soon after, and they began singing together once he left the service in 1967.
She is survived by two daughters from her marriage to Mr. McCrae, Sophia and Leah; a daughter from a previous relationship, Wanda; a son from a later relationship, Alex; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Although 'Funky Sensation' was her last hit in the United States, Ms. McCrae continued to make music, and to draw a dedicated following for her live performances, both at home and in Europe.
In 2004 she released a gospel album, 'I'm Not Worried.' Two years later she worked once more with Mr. Stone, recording an album of standards from the TK Records catalog, 'Gwen McCrae Sings TK.'
Though she claimed Florida as her primary residence, she toured Europe extensively. She finally stopped in 2012, when a stroke after a concert in England left her paralyzed on the left side of her body.