14 Facts About Marlena Shaw

Marlina Burgess, professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer.

Marlena Shaw's music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television commercials.

Marlena Shaw was first introduced to music by her uncle Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpet player.

Shaw's mother did not want Marlena to go on tour with her uncle at such a young age.

Marlena Shaw enrolled in the New York State Teachers College in Potsdam to study music but she later dropped out.

Marlena Shaw began to make singing appearances in jazz clubs whenever she could spare the time.

Marlena Shaw was supposed to play at the Newport Jazz Festival with McGhee and his band, but left the group after getting into an argument with one of the band members.

Marlena Shaw did not perform well during the audition because she was too nervous.

Marlena Shaw's career took off in 1966 when she landed a gig with the Playboy Club chain in Chicago.

Marlena Shaw released her first two albums on their subsidiary Cadet Records.

Marlena Shaw sang the theme song "Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow" from the 1977 film Looking for Mr Goodbar, that is found on its soundtrack.

Marlena Shaw recorded one of the disco era's biggest hits, a remake of "Touch Me in the Morning", on Columbia Records.

In 1982 Marlena Shaw recorded the Gary Taylor ballad called "Without You in My Life" from the LP Let Me in Your Life, that was jointly produced by Johnny Bristol and Webster Lewis on South Bay Records.

In 1999,2001 and again in 2007, Marlena Shaw was one of the performers at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.