Lisa Fischer - this dynamic vocalist that when hearing her vocals the acrobatics are limitless. Lisa is a diva in waiting though her temperament is anything but that. I was blown away from her appearance in the Academy Award winning documentary entitled; "20 Feet From Stardom." This documentary released in 2013 instantly educated viewers on the voices that they forever linked his or her memories with were all thanks to the un-song heroes such as Darlene Love, Táta Vega, Claudia Lennear, Merry Clayton amongst many others. Lisa Fischer is also featured where us the viewers are schooled on the many vocals from the 1960's to today and how the song's live and breath "thanks" to the back-up vocalists. I am a huge music fan and was blown away by the stories these gifted singers provided which made me become that much more aware.
It simply gave me the "wow factor" when hearing the stories of not just one but a numerous amount of people that support, have some of the most memorable parts of a song, limitless energy and stage presence while always being the supporting background vocals feet away from the lead.
Lisa has lent her vocals that are one of the very best in the business. In an industry that one has to brand themselves and be able to be in the limelight is not always for all. The harsh reality is that there are such amazing vocalists being one Lisa Fischer that are more selfless and want to be immersed in the music but do not love the marketing, publicity, and what fame brings to one. Lisa loves to be able to go onto a stage for ten's of thousands of fans then head home via driving herself with no flashing bulbs and intense paparazzi. Being able to do her passion which is music and then being able to fade away to enjoy a day of shopping with the anonymity is more of a comfort.
Lisa Fischer has wowed and amazed fans for a few decades now since lending her talents as a back-up vocalist to Luther Vandross, Melba Moore, Chaka Khan and Roberta Flack amongst many other noteworthy first class performance artists.
The solo career & Grammy Award!
Lisa very deservedly garnered a contract in 1990 with Elektra Records where she released her first
and thus far only solo artist album entitled; "So Intense." This gave away to a new life for Lisa where rather than being close to the main spotlight she was right in it , front and center! "So Intense" was a huge commercial and critically acclaimed album where it bestowed a Grammy Award to her for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" in 1992.
The solo album also gave Lisa recognition with her biggest hit from the album being; "How Can I Ease The Pain" which gave her a number one hit on the US R&B Charts along with the Top 40. In total with her album Lisa released 3 singles and had a smash hit with the first single and the overall album. Lisa co-wrote a total of three songs of the 10 released on the album with heavy hitters such as Luther Vandross whom was a huge supporter (also a once back-up vocalist himself) of hers.
Post Solo Career:
Elektra Records was totally lost on how to utilize now a Grammy Award winning female vocalist. What genre should they place this vocalist in and how to brand her from here on in....these were just a few of the key items that upon working on her 2nd album, which was to be the follow-up to "So Intense" that it was taking several months for her as well. Lisa got lost on where she wanted to go with her material and the perfect sound with the proper tracks. At the end of the day Elektra felt that Lisa took too long to record her sophomore album and decided to drop her from their label. Lisa also mentions that for her going back to being a back-up vocalist is where her heart and passion was not being front row center.
Now, being free of the burden of her solo work Lisa went back to touring and recording studio time with the best of the best in the recording industry. The Rolling Stones took note of her powerhouse vocals and took her on as the lead back-up female vocalist starting in 1989 and has continued to do every tour of theirs since. Also, other heavy hitters that were a wide array of genres took note of her insane vocals and took her on to shine such as Sting, Tina Turner, Chris Botti, and more. Lisa has stayed constantly busy with global touring, studio recording and now being one of the featured ladies in an Academy Award winning documentary in 2013 entitled; "20 Feet From Stardom."
I being a huge fan of Lisa Fischer can understand her view of the passion of the music and finding what is truly met for her. I am though selfish and would love to hear another solo album from her and some touring which she would be perfection. However, I am happy with catching her on a tour and hearing her vocals soar as a back-up vocalist as well. It is truly amazing to see an evolution of a singer who truly found what they were destined for but also deserved the recognition from her peers and fans of being one of the best.
Hope this article educates and perhaps allows a reader to discover an artist that deserves more of the limelight. The good news is we will be featuring in up-coming articles additional back-up vocalists that deserve their time and recognition.
Lisa Fischer Official Website:
http://lisafischermusic.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LisaFischerSings?fref=ts
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/lisafischersing
