Rose Marie McCoy
Encyclopedia
Rose Marie McCoy was one of the most influential and prolific songwriter
s of the 1950s and 1960s.
McCoy moved to New York City
in 1942, pursuing a singing
career. Her vocal talent got her bookings at many famous venues such as Harlem’s Baby Grand, Detroit’s Flame Show Bar, Cincinnati's Sportsmen's Club, and Toronto
's Basin Street.
In 1952, Rose Marie McCoy wrote and recorded two songs for the newly formed Rhythm & Blues label Wheeler Records, “Cheating Blues” and “Georgie Boy Blues”. After publishers heard these songs they began seeking her out. One of the first songs she was asked to write was a half-spoken, half-sung song, “Gabbin’ Blues” sung by Big Maybelle
with the talking part provided by Rose Marie McCoy. “Gabbin’ Blues” turned out to be the first big hit for Big Maybelle and also the songwriter’s first hit.
McCoy went on to write other songs for Big Maybelle, as well as other popular Rhythm ‘n’ Blues artists including, Louis Jordan
(“If I Had Any Sense I’d Go Back Home” and “House Party”) and co-wrote, with Fred Mendelsohn
, Nappy Brown
's 1955 single "Don't Be Angry
".
Around this time Rose Marie McCoy teamed up with songwriter Charles Singleton, also known as Charlie Singleton. They soon scored their first hit, “It Hurts Me to My Heart
”, recorded by Faye Adams
. Their collaboration lasted about eight years and together they penned many hits for the top artists of the time, including Elvis Presley
’s "I Beg Of You", The Eagles' “Trying to Get to You
" (later recorded in Presley's Sun Sessions
), Ruth Brown
’s “Mambo Baby”, and Nappy Brown’s “Little by Little”. Singleton & McCoy tunes were also recorded by Nat King Cole
, Little Willie John
, Eartha Kitt
, Aretha Franklin
, Eddy Arnold
, The Five Willows, Big Joe Turner
, The Du Droppers, Little Esther, The Clovers
, and many other top artists of the time.
After the Singleton and McCoy team broke up, Rose Marie McCoy continued to write songs on her own and in collaboration with other writers. Her most successful song of the 1960s was “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” which became Ike and Tina Turner’s first top 20 pop single and their first Grammy nomination.
Though she is most often associated with songs recorded by legendary Rhythm & Blues artists of the 1950s and 60s, Rose Marie McCoy has written many jazz, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, country, and gospel songs. Legendary jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott
has recorded nine Rose Marie McCoy tunes. Sarah Vaughan
has recorded six of her songs, five of them found on the singer’s 1974 album Send in the Clowns.
Many other artists have recorded some of the over 800 songs she has had published, including but not limited to:
Pearl Bailey
, Maxine Brown
, Shirley Caesar
, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Patti Page
, Debbie Reynolds
, Lenny Welsh, Dinah Washington
, Barbara Lewis
, Del Shannon
, Joe Medlin, Freddie Scott
, Billy & Lillie
, Tommy Sands
, Marie Cole, Shirley and Lee, Sammy Turner
, Solomon Burke
, Toni Arden
, The Crew-Cuts
, Ellerine Harding, Annie Laurie
, Al Hibbler
, Vera Longus, Jimmy Rushing
, Eartha Kitt, Otis Williams
, Bette Midler
, Billy Eckstine
, Ella Mae Morse
, Chuck Jackson
, Eddy Arnold, Dizzy Gillespie
, Brook Benton
, Buddy Ace
, Varetta Dillard
, Ivory Joe Hunter
, Big Dee Irwin
, Jane Froman
, Shirley Ellis
, Jimmy Rushing
, Peggy Lee
, Jean Wells, Jo Stafford
, Georgia Gibbs
, Joe Erskine, Bobby Vee
, Wilbert Harrison
, Linda Hopkins
, The Platters
, The Four Preps
, Dakota Staton
, The Harptones
, Moms Mabley
, Etta James
, Gloria Lynne
, Faith Hill
, Linda Ronstadt
and James Taylor
.
McCoy has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
since the 1950s.
Ms. McCoy was honored by Community Works NYC in their 2008 exhibition and concert series "Ladies Singing the Blues." McCoy received a five minute standing ovation during the awards ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City for her contribution to music. To the delight of the audience, "It's gonna work out fine" was played as she was escorted to the stage.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s of the 1950s and 1960s.
McCoy moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1942, pursuing a singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
career. Her vocal talent got her bookings at many famous venues such as Harlem’s Baby Grand, Detroit’s Flame Show Bar, Cincinnati's Sportsmen's Club, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Basin Street.
In 1952, Rose Marie McCoy wrote and recorded two songs for the newly formed Rhythm & Blues label Wheeler Records, “Cheating Blues” and “Georgie Boy Blues”. After publishers heard these songs they began seeking her out. One of the first songs she was asked to write was a half-spoken, half-sung song, “Gabbin’ Blues” sung by Big Maybelle
Big Maybelle
Mabel Louise Smith , known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer and pianist. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.-Biography:...
with the talking part provided by Rose Marie McCoy. “Gabbin’ Blues” turned out to be the first big hit for Big Maybelle and also the songwriter’s first hit.
McCoy went on to write other songs for Big Maybelle, as well as other popular Rhythm ‘n’ Blues artists including, Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
(“If I Had Any Sense I’d Go Back Home” and “House Party”) and co-wrote, with Fred Mendelsohn
Fred Mendelsohn
Fred Mendelsohn, president of Savoy Records for 42 years, was the first man to ever record, promote and market black gospel music as a national company. His dedication and contributions built the historic foundation for the black gospel music industry.Many of today's major gospel artists started...
, Nappy Brown
Nappy Brown
Napoleon Brown Goodson Culp better known by his stage name Nappy Brown, was an American R&B singer. His hits include the 1955 Billboard chart #2, "Don't Be Angry" and "Night Time Is the Right Time"...
's 1955 single "Don't Be Angry
Don't Be Angry
"Don't Be Angry" is a popular song written by Nappy Brown, Rose Marie McCoy, and Fred Mendelsohn and published in 1955. Brown released it in 1955, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts....
".
Around this time Rose Marie McCoy teamed up with songwriter Charles Singleton, also known as Charlie Singleton. They soon scored their first hit, “It Hurts Me to My Heart
It Hurts Me to My Heart
"It Hurts Me to My Heart" is a 1954 single by Faye Adams. The song, written by Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton, would be the final of Adams's three number ones on the R&B Best Sellers chart in the United States.-References:...
”, recorded by Faye Adams
Faye Adams
Faye Adams is an American vocalist.-Early years:She was the daughter of David Tuell, a gospel singer and a key figure in the Church of God in Christ...
. Their collaboration lasted about eight years and together they penned many hits for the top artists of the time, including Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
’s "I Beg Of You", The Eagles' “Trying to Get to You
Trying to Get To You
“Trying To Get To You” is a song performed by Elvis Presley in 1955 on his Sun recordings.It was written by Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton, also known as Charlie Singleton. It was originally recorded by the rhythm and blues outfit The Eagles in 1954 and released in mid-1954 on Mercury...
" (later recorded in Presley's Sun Sessions
Elvis Presley's Sun recordings
Elvis Presley's Sun recordings were made by Elvis Presley at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A. between 1953 and 1955. The recordings were produced by Sam Phillips. Memphis is a melting pot of many types of music: both black music and white music , the recordings reflect these influences...
), Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
’s “Mambo Baby”, and Nappy Brown’s “Little by Little”. Singleton & McCoy tunes were also recorded by Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Little Willie John
Little Willie John
William Edward John was better known by his stage name Little Willie John. Many sources erroneously give his second name as Edgar...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
, The Five Willows, Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
, The Du Droppers, Little Esther, The Clovers
The Clovers
-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
, and many other top artists of the time.
After the Singleton and McCoy team broke up, Rose Marie McCoy continued to write songs on her own and in collaboration with other writers. Her most successful song of the 1960s was “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” which became Ike and Tina Turner’s first top 20 pop single and their first Grammy nomination.
Though she is most often associated with songs recorded by legendary Rhythm & Blues artists of the 1950s and 60s, Rose Marie McCoy has written many jazz, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, country, and gospel songs. Legendary jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott
Jimmy Scott , aka "Little" Jimmy Scott, is an American jazz vocalist famous for his unusually high contralto voice which is due to Kallmann's syndrome, a very rare genetic condition. The condition stunted his growth at four feet eleven inches until, at age 37, he grew another 8 inches to the...
has recorded nine Rose Marie McCoy tunes. Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
has recorded six of her songs, five of them found on the singer’s 1974 album Send in the Clowns.
Many other artists have recorded some of the over 800 songs she has had published, including but not limited to:
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
, Maxine Brown
Maxine Brown (soul singer)
Maxine Ella Brown is an American soul and R&B singer.-Background and career:Maxine Brown began singing as a child, performing with two New York based gospel groups called the Angelairs and the Royaltones when she was a teenager...
, Shirley Caesar
Shirley Caesar
Shirley Ann Caesar is an American Gospel music singer, songwriter and recording artist whose career has spanned six decades...
, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Lenny Welsh, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis
Barbara Lewis , is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.-Career:Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan...
, Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
, Joe Medlin, Freddie Scott
Freddie Scott
Freddie Scott was an American soul singer and songwriter. His biggest hits were "Hey, Girl", a top ten US pop hit in 1963, and "Are You Lonely For Me", a no.1 hit on the R&B chart in early 1967.-Life and career:...
, Billy & Lillie
Billy & Lillie
Billy & Lillie were an American pop vocal duo, composed of Billy Ford and Lillie Bryant .-Career:...
, Tommy Sands
Tommy Sands
Tommy Adrian Sands is an American pop music singer and actor.-Early life:Born into a musical family in Chicago, Illinois, Sands' father was a pianist and his mother a big-band singer. While still young, he moved with his family to Shreveport, Louisiana...
, Marie Cole, Shirley and Lee, Sammy Turner
Sammy Turner
Sammy Turner is an American singer, who was popular at the end of the 1950s.-Career:...
, Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
, Toni Arden
Toni Arden
Toni Arden is an American traditional pop music singer.-Biography:Arden became a big band singer in the 1940s, singing with Al Trace, Joe Reichman, Ray Bloch and Shep Fields...
, The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts
The Crew-Cuts were a Canadian vocal quartet, that made a number of popular records that charted in the United States and worldwide. They named themselves after the then popular crew cut haircut, one of the first connections made between pop music and hairstyle...
, Ellerine Harding, Annie Laurie
Annie Laurie
Annie Laurie is an old Scottish song based on poem by William Douglas of Dumfries and Galloway. The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Scott in 1834/5. The song is also known as Maxwelton Braes.-William Douglas:...
, Al Hibbler
Al Hibbler
Albert George "Al" Hibbler was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of his singing is classified as rhythm and blues, but he is best classified as a bridge between R&B and traditional pop music...
, Vera Longus, Jimmy Rushing
Jimmy Rushing
James Andrew Rushing , known as Jimmy Rushing, was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.Rushing was known as "Mr...
, Eartha Kitt, Otis Williams
Otis Williams
Otis Williams is an American baritone singer. Nicknamed "Big Daddy", he has also acted as a sporadic songwriter and record producer. Williams co-founded the Motown vocal group The Temptations in early 1960 as The Elgins, a group in which he continues to perform...
, Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
, Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
, Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse , was an American popular singer. Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B.-Career:Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now...
, Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961...
, Eddy Arnold, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Brook Benton
Brook Benton
Brook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
, Buddy Ace
Buddy Ace
Buddy Ace was an American blues singer, known as the "Silver Fox of the Blues." His best known tracks were "Root Doctor" and "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man"....
, Varetta Dillard
Varetta Dillard
Varetta Dillard was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1950s whose biggest hit was "Mercy, Mr. Percy".-Life and career:...
, Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid 1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording, "Since I Met You Baby" . He was billed as The Baron of the Boogie, and also known as The...
, Big Dee Irwin
Big Dee Irwin
DiFosco "Dee" T. Ervin Jr. , usually known professionally as Big Dee Irwin, was an American singer and songwriter whose biggest hit was a version of "Swinging On A Star" in 1963, recorded as a duet with Little Eva....
, Jane Froman
Jane Froman
Jane Froman was an American singer and actress. During her thirty-year career, Froman performed on stage, radio and television despite chronic injuries that she sustained from a 1943 plane crash...
, Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis is an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian origin. She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" , "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song"...
, Jimmy Rushing
Jimmy Rushing
James Andrew Rushing , known as Jimmy Rushing, was an American blues shouter and swing jazz singer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948.Rushing was known as "Mr...
, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, Jean Wells, Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
, Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs
Georgia Gibbs was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs first achieved acclaim in the mid-1950s interpreting songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later as a featured vocalist on a long list of...
, Joe Erskine, Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Wilbert Harrison
Wilbert Harrison
Wilbert Harrison was an American rhythm and blues singer, pianist, guitarist and harmonica player.Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, Harrison had a Billboard #1 record in 1959 with the song "Kansas City". The song was written in 1952 and was one of the first credited collaborations...
, Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins is an African American actress and blues and gospel singer. She has recorded classic, traditional, and urban blues, and performed R&B and soul, jazz, and show tunes, all with distinction and style since the 1950s....
, The Platters
The Platters
The Platters were a vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre...
, The Four Preps
The Four Preps
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums...
, Dakota Staton
Dakota Staton
Dakota Staton , also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period, was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No...
, The Harptones
The Harptones
The Harptones are an American doo-wop group, which formed in Manhattan in 1953.The group never had a top forty pop hit, or even a record on the national R&B charts, yet they are still considered one of the most influential doo-wop groups, both for their lead singer, Willie Winfield and their...
, Moms Mabley
Moms Mabley
Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken , was an American standup comedian and a pioneer of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" of African-American vaudeville.-Early years:...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne is an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Born Gloria Alleyne, Gloria Lynne grew up in Harlem; her mother was a gospel singer.-Career:...
, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
.
McCoy has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
since the 1950s.
Ms. McCoy was honored by Community Works NYC in their 2008 exhibition and concert series "Ladies Singing the Blues." McCoy received a five minute standing ovation during the awards ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City for her contribution to music. To the delight of the audience, "It's gonna work out fine" was played as she was escorted to the stage.
Sources
- Broadcast Music, Inc.
- Broven, John, "The Story of Rose Marie McCoy", Juke BluesJuke BluesJuke Blues is a British magazine covering blues, R&B, gospel, soul, zydeco and jazz. It was established in 1985 in London by Cilla Huggins, John Broven and Bez Turner, and is now published at least twice a year in Bath, Somerset, England...
, Issue 26, Summer 1992, pp. 8–15. - Freeland, David, "Rose Marie McCoy," American Songwriter, Vol 21, No. 3, March/April 2006, pp. 65–67.
- Rose Marie McCoy papers.
- Rosenbaum, Dan, "Songwriting Sistas", Music Alive, Vol. 26, No. 5, Feb. 2007, pp. 2–3.
External links
- "Lady Writes The Blues: The Life Of Rose McCoy", audio and text at NPR.org.
- "Songwriter is in the spotlight, at last, at 86", news item at NJ.com, 19 February 2009..