Alfa Anderson was an American singer and educator, best known as one of the lead vocalists of the 1970s band Chic.
18 Facts About Alfa Anderson
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Alfa Anderson's parents named her "Alfa", because she was their first born child.
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Musically inclined from a young age, Alfa Anderson composed her first song at age three.
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Alfa Anderson attended Paine College, followed by Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned a master's degree in English.
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Alfa Anderson sang in the college choirs of both Paine and Columbia.
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Alfa Anderson worked as a lecturer at Hunter College in New York City while singing on weekends with Kenny and Everett Brawner, founders of the band, "Raw Sugar".
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Alfa Anderson recorded background vocals for Nat Adderley, Roy Buchanan, Dionne Warwick, Odyssey and many others.
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Alfa Anderson's voice appears on the soundtrack to The Wiz and Atlantic Records' Live at Montreux.
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Alfa Anderson became a lead singer when one of Chic's original leads, Norma Jean Wright, left the group in 1978.
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Alfa Anderson is the lead vocalist for the top ten hit "I Want Your Love" and "At Last I Am Free".
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At the height of Chic's fame, Alfa Anderson regularly appeared on television shows such as Soul Train, The Midnight Special, and Top of the Pops.
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Alfa Anderson worked on the Chic-produced sessions of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", Diana Ross's Diana, and Johnny Mathis's I Love My Lady.
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Alfa Anderson continued to work with other notable artists, appearing on albums by Bryan Adams, Gregory Hines, Mick Jagger, Teddy Pendergrass, Jennifer Holliday, Billy Squier, Sheena Easton, Jody Watley, Bryan Ferry, and Jonathan Butler.
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Alfa Anderson earned a second master's degree in educational leadership from Bank Street College in New York, New York.
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Alfa Anderson released the single "Former First Lady of Chic" in 2013 and the album Music from My Heart in 2017.
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Alfa Anderson toured internationally with a trio she formed with former Chic members Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin.
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Alfa Anderson was married to producer, composer, and bass player Eluriel "Tinkr" Barfield, whom she met while touring with Vandross.
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Alfa Anderson died on December 17,2024, at the age of 78.