Gwen McCrae's Biography

Gwen McCrae started singing in her Pentecostal church, and she actually became a minister.

In 1963, she met George McCrae, who, at the time, was a sailor, and they married within a week.

They formed a duet, George & Gwen, and performed in clubs in Florida before they were discovered by singer Betty Wright. As a result they signed for Alston and released their debut single, Three Hearts in a Tangle in 1969.

The following year, Gwen McCrae signed up with Columbia as a solo artist and George became her manager. She had initial success with Lead Me On, but when Columbia failed to renew her contact in 1973, Gwen McCrae joined the T.K. subsidiary Cat.

She had a major commercial success there with the single Rockin' Chair and then released her debut album of the same name.

Gwen and George were having more success as solo artists than as a duet, and this was mirrored by troubles in their marriage. They divorced in 1976 after the birth of their second child.

In this interview with Gwen McCrae the singer said:

" ... he kept on messing with me and finally he got me, he married me. And then he became a sperm donor of two children"

After the divorce, and with the TK label about to go down the tubes, Gwen McCrae moved to New York.

She then had a few years with Atlantic that saw the release of Funky Sensation, which reached number 22 in the R&B charts in 1981.

Gwen McCrae moved back to Florida in 1984 and released just one single before pursuing a career in nursing.

However her songs were proving popular in the UK clubs, where the re-released All This Love That I'm Giving reached number 63 in the charts in 1988.

In 1996, Gwen McCrae released the album Girlfriend's Boyfriend in the UK.

Back in the USA, McCrae recorded the album, Psychic Hot Line, reissued Girlfriend's Boyfriend and recorded the album Still Rockin'.

In 2004, Gwen McCrae released her first gospel album, I'm Not Worried.

In 2007, Frost Illustrated reported of Gwen McCrae:

"Her 2006 remake of the classic "Let's Straighten It Out," featuring her in a duo with blues singer Latimore who first made it a hit in the 1970s, is up for the prestigious JusBluesMusic.com Best Blues & Soul Woman Song Of The Year. McCrae, herself, is up for the Blues & Soul Woman Of The Year award. In addition, word is she is scheduled to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame."

In 2010, she released the single Now I Found Love.