Just curious. I recently bought her newly remastered/reissued Capitol titles from 1974-1980 on Soul Music Records, U.K. and love 'em, especially "Music On My Mind" and "Take My Love!" Now, I'm exploring her Columbia/CBS titles from the 90's and have narrowed it down to "With My Lover Beside Me," "Love, Nancy" and "Nancy Now" as being my faves. Might even have 2 buy "A Lady With A Song" TOO!

How did she stay signed to Capitol for all those years with only a small handful of hits and then to Columbia with no chart entries either, yet she's still regarded as being a "legend." Maybe she toured a lot and that's what kept her career going so long/kept her signed to two major labels? Anyone wanna fill me in/share their thoughts on this with me? Thanks and Happy New Year!

[Edited 1/5/14 15:42pm]

[Edited 1/6/14 19:21pm]

I'll let the resident know-everythings officially fill in the blanks for you but I will say that having "hits" does not make a performer a legend.

Just ask Beyonce, Britney and Rhianna because legend is something they will never truly be, no matter how many "hits" they have.

Nancy Wilson has always been a complete and consistent package of talent, elegance, style and grace that honors her craft.

One of my favorite Nancy Wison songs came over 30 years well into her career

[Edited 1/6/14 5:11am]

It's kinda like "Survivor." You have to outwit, outlast, and outplay everyone else... and for Nancy Wilson, the talent is certainly there and she has outlived a majority of her contemporaries. She has released many records over the years and (for the last couple of decades) has been having successful rereleases. I am particularly fond of the double CDs of two LPs that have been coming out in recent years. Just when I think there can't be another set, another one is released.

Her voice is timeless - no matter what "age" you hear it in. I really appreciate her work and am glad to see others appreciate her too.

[Edited 1/6/14 12:51pm]

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

having "hits" does not make a performer a legend.

Robert Johnson had no hits at all and only recorded a few songs, but he's still talked about today. You could say the same thing about performers in genres not generally played on hit based radio formats.

ExACTLY!!!! The first time I became aware of Fancy Nancy was when I was about 18. I was in the basement going thru a box of my father's old vinyls and I was immediately pulled in by her gorgeous face! On the album I had found, she was much younger. About two years later in 1980, I was in a record store in Harvard Square and discovered her new album (at that time,) "Take My Love." Without hesitation, I scooped it and have been a fan ever since! She absolutely KILLS "The Sadness In My Eyes!" LOVE the woman! In 1998, I got 2c her live and she was not only beautiful, but AWESOMELY entertaining! She even signed my "Take My Love" album that I had from when I was a teenager! Glad I'm in good company!

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I'll let the resident know-everythings officially fill in the blanks for you but I will say that having "hits" does not make a performer a legend.

Just ask Beyonce, Britney and Rhianna because legend is something they will never truly be, no matter how many "hits" they have.

Nancy Wilson has always been a complete and consistent package of talent, elegance, style and grace that honors her craft.

One of my favorite Nancy Wison songs came over 30 years well into her career

[Edited 1/6/14 5:11am]

Beautiful! Thanks! I saw Regina Belle recently doing a tribute to Nancy performing "If I Could" and it was sooooo touching!

I love Nancy! I purchased all of those Capital soulmusic.com reissues and they are great! Amazing how many albums she amassed while at Capita and even at Columbia.. A lot of those songs/albums I had never heard. Very interesting to hear the disco music she recorded while at Capital. I believe I read where she has never had any Gold or Platinum certifications. Which proves it's possbile (or used to be) for an artist not to sell big numbers in order to have a big career.

I really didn't discover Nancy until 1989's "A Lady With A Song", which is still my favorite album from her to this day. It also marked the first time I heard her music on an R&B station with "Don't Ask My Neighbor" and "Do You Still Dream About Me". I believe "Neighbor" did chart on the Billboard R&B side and she filmed, what I believe, was her first music video for the song.

She's one of those singers known more for her live performances than her recording output. The woman is the epitome of style and class.

[Edited 1/6/14 16:37pm]

kitbradley said:

I love Nancy! I purchased all of those Capital soulmusic.com reissues and they are great! Amazing how many albums she amassed while at Capita and even at Columbia.. A lot of those songs/albums I had never heard. Very interesting to hear the disco music she recorded while at Capital. I believe I read where she has never had any Gold or Platinum certifications. Which proves it's possbile (or used to be) for an artist not to sell big numbers in order to have a big career.

I really didn't discover Nancy until 1989's "A Lady With A Song", which is still my favorite album from her to this day. It also marked the first time I heard her music on an R&B station with "Don't Ask My Neighbor" and "Do You Still Dream About Me". I believe "Neighbor" did chart on the Billboard R&B side and she filmed, what I believe, was her first music video for the song.

She's one of those singers known more for her live performances than her recording output. The woman is the epitome of style and class.

[Edited 1/6/14 16:37pm]

Hey, Kit! She SURE IZZ! I absolutely LOVE "Music On My Mind!" There's a song on there called, "I'm A Balloon," and it's BEAUTIFUL! If u go 2 Youtube and type in your browser "Nancy Wilson 1978," there are a couple of live vids in the studio for the making of that album ("Music On My Mind"), and she is SOOOOO sexy! Hope u find 'em. Let me know! Happy New Year!