Lady Flash
American trio known as Barry Manilow's backup singers.
Last updated
Lady Flash was a vocal trio made up of Reparata Mazzola (born Lorraine Mazzola), Monica Burruss Pege (who performed as Monica Burruss and had been in The Voices of East Harlem), and Debra Byrd. They served as Barry Manilow’s featured backup singers from 1974 to 1979. Their sole hit was “Street Singin’,” a 1976 single written and arranged by Manilow that peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song appeared on their album Beauties In The Night, also produced by Manilow. Originally called The Flashy Ladies—a nod to the Manilow song “Flashy Lady”—the group initially included Ramona Brooks, whom Pege replaced in 1976. They sang backing vocals on Manilow’s first seven multi-platinum albums and performed with him on television shows including American Bandstand and The Midnight Special, as well as his 1978 European tour.
Quick Facts
- Members
- Reparata Mazzola
- Monica Burruss Pege
- Debra Byrd
- Hit single
- Street Singin' (1976)
- Peak chart position
- #27 on Billboard Hot 100
- Album
- Beauties In The Night
- Original name
- The Flashy Ladies
- Notable tv appearances
- Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
- The Midnight Special
- American Bandstand
- Donahue
Facts from the source article.
Background
Their first recorded appearance was in 1975 on Soundstage. They later appeared with Manilow on his Emmy-award-winning first special and on numerous TV shows including Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, American Bandstand and Donahue. They performed with Manilow on his first European tour in 1978 with concerts at the Olympia in Paris, The London Palladium and Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Because Pege and Byrd were African-American, and Reparata, in the middle position, was Caucasian, Manilow often jokingly referred to them as "The Oreos."
Did You Know?
- Monica Pege was crowned Female Vocalist grand champion on the debut season of Star Search in 1984.
- Reparata Mazzola changed her legal name to Reparata after losing a 1975 case over the stage name against Mary 'Reparata' (Aiese) O'Leary.
- Debra Byrd was the vocal chair for the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and sang on sessions including the Oscars.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Lady Flash (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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