Lotti Golden (born November 27, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, poet and artist. Golden is best known for her 1969 debut album '' Motor-Cycle'', on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

. Winner of the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Pop Award for songwriting and

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

certified Gold and Platinum awards as a writer/producer, Golden has written and produced Top 5 hits in the US and abroad. Credited for her innovative work in early electro and Hip hop music,Toop, David (2000). Rap Attack 3: African Rap To Global Hip Hop. (Expanded Third Edition) Serpent's Tail, London N4 2BT pp. 146, 148, 150–151 . Golden is featured in the ''Rap Attack 3: African Rap To Global Hip Hop'' by David Toop, and ''Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: True Life Stories of Women of Pop'' for her pioneering work as a female record producer.Steward, Sue and Garratt, Sheryl (1984) Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: True Life Stories of Women in Pop, South End Press, Boston, MA, 02116 pp. 78, 79, 80, 99.

Early life

Childhood

Lotti Golden was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

to Sy (Seymour) Golden and Anita Golden (née Cohn), the elder of two daughters. Golden's parents, a strikingly handsome and fashionable pair, were avid jazz aficionados and foreign film buffs. Golden soaked up the sounds of

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

from an early ageWheeler, Drew (May 16–29, 1988) "Golden & Faragher Have Something in Common". Music Connection, p. 24. developing a lifelong passion for music and the arts. Golden grew up in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York where she attended Canarsie High School, serving as the school's

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

. Voted Most Likely to Succeed,Barry, Thomas (September 9, 1969). "The Salty Socking Soul of Lotti Golden". '' Look'', pp. 76,76,78 Golden graduated with honors in 1967, winning the Creative Writing medal, the Lincoln Center Student Award for Academic Excellence, the Scholastic Magazine Award for National Achievement in Art, and a New York State Regents Scholarship. Golden was awarded the National League of Pen Women Prize for poetry and went on to attend

Brooklyn College , mottoeng = Nothing without great effort , established = , parent = CUNY , type = Public university , endowment = $98.0 million (2019) , budget = $123.96 m ...

1964–1968: Early music career

A birthday gift (a guitar) from Golden's parents at age eleven would chart her future course. Golden studied classical guitar and voice, but needing more of a creative outlet, soon found her niche as a singer-songwriter, using her abilities as both wordsmith and vocalist. To sing her compositions on demos Golden spent hours using a reel to reel tape recorder to perfect her vocal craft: "When women talk of their idols and influences…they tell stories about singing along with records, trying to emulate someone's voice…until they can begin to develop their own style." Golden explains: "I would practice singing to Aretha,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, and the

Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who w ...

, till I could sing all of their licks and runs… the girls' bathroom in high school was a great place to try it out." By the age of fourteen Golden was making forays into Manhattan, singing on demo sessions and peddling her songs to publishers, landing her first cover by

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

and the Blue Belles. By the time Golden completed high school, she had the beginnings of a musical autobiography about her adventures in New York's East Village and

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

where she was a resident member of the

Henry Street Settlement The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founde ...

Playhouse, honing her skills as an actress and playwright.Hentoff, Nat (July 1969) "Cosmo Listens to Records". Cosmopolitan, p.74. This would become the basis of her Atlantic Records debut LP, ''Motor-Cycle''.Saal, Hubert (July 14, 1969). " The Girl's-Letting Go". Newsweek, pp. 68,71.

Recording artist

1969: Debut LP: ''Motor-Cycle''

Released on Atlantic Records in 1969, '' Motor-Cycle'' is a chronicle of Golden's life informed by New York City's counterculture. "It was a strange, way out scene for pretty, 19-year-old Golden," who wrote her memoir in music and lyrics because, according to Golden, "a book is too flat," The songs on '' Motor-Cycle'' deal with subjects like gender identity ("The Space Queens-Silky is Sad"), drug use ("Gonna Fay's"), and urban alienation ("Who Are Your Friends"). So essential was Golden's poetry and lyrics to the project, that a lyric sheet insert was included with the original release. The back cover of the LP contains the poem, "Night was a Better Blanket," alluding to the LP's backstory. Golden was part of a new wave of female singers who began to shake up the status quo in the late Sixties. Breaking from the confines of pop they defined themselves by their confessional lyrics, taking on new controversial subject matter. In July 1969,''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' ran a feature story, "The Girls: Letting Go": "There has surfaced a new school of talented female troubadours, who not only sing, but write their own songs. What is common to them – to

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

and Lotti Golden, to

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "The Best of Rock: A Personal Discography," by music critic

Nat Hentoff Nathan Irving Hentoff (June 10, 1925 – January 7, 2017) was an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media. Hentoff was a columnist for ''The Village Voice'' from 1958 to 2009. Fo ...

, ''Motor-Cycle'' is a synthesis of

stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First L ...

confessional poetry, R&B infused vocals and a "sometimes satiric mélange of rock, jazz, blues and soul" with lyrics that evoke "a Kerouac novel." On an album of "restlessly epic roadhouse suites"PATH ( May 29, 2008). 196
"Lotti Golden- Motor-Cycle"
Delorean, Tiny Mix Tapes Golden uses the story-based format, featuring a cast of archetypal characters while playing the part of "emcee" of her own "aberrant cabaret." Golden's coming of age saga is likely the first rock

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

by a female recording artist. Music critic Path, of

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...

, explains how ''Motor-Cycle'' plays like a musical, transporting the listener to the late 1960s underground: "Golden gets help on ''Motor-Cycle'' from an impeccably arranged Atlantic Records session band… with a flawless, swinging rhythm team. Then, at key moments, the curtain goes up and they've got rows of saxes, trumpets, vibes…and you begin to realize that this is not the same song and dance… it's as if The

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

recorded for

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

." Golden writes of a "season in hell " she somehow manages to survive. "It's an extraordinary evocation of a life-style… and one girl's plunge into and out of it."

1968–69: The Making of ''Motor-Cycle''

Golden signed a publishing deal as a staff writer with Saturday Music during her senior year of high school. One afternoon as Golden was riding the elevator to her demo session, the company's owner,

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons ...

stepped in while Golden was singing. When Crewe nodded his approval, Golden seized the opportunity, and in one breath told Crewe she was a staff writer at his publishing company and working on material for her own artist album. Intrigued, Crewe set up a meeting: "When Lotti brought her material to Crewe in the fall of 1967, he exclaimed, 'Good God, who are your friends?'" referring to the outrageous characters populating Golden's songs. Crewe was sold on doing the project, but asked Golden if she could wait one year while he cleared his schedule, and in 1968 the pair began recording Golden's autobiographical opus, ''Motor-Cycle'', "a synthesis of funky singing and honest hip lyrics about urban teenage trauma." Atlantic Records moguls,

Jerry Wexler Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

and Ahmet ErtegünWolman, Baron (2011). The Rolling Stone Years (Hardcover Edition) Omnibus Press, , p. 155, bought the

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

tapes after one hearing, with Wexler "modestly telling his staff Golden would be the greatest single pop artist since

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

." The release of ''Motor-Cycle'' in 1969 generated considerable media interest in Golden. '' Look'' magazine described Golden's songs and poetry as "rich in metaphor and starkly descriptive of people and places," stating: "Even in her musically precocious generation, she

olden Olden may refer to: Places *Olden, Norway, a village in Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway *Olden, Missouri, an unincorporated community *Olden, Texas, a community in Eastland county, Texas, USA People *Charles Smith Olden, an American polit ...

stands out as a singer composer of phenomenal power and originality." In addition to features in national publications, Lotti Golden was identified by

Carrie Donovan Carrie Donovan (March 22, 1928 – November 12, 2001) was an American fashion editor for ''Vogue'', ''Harper's Bazaar'' and ''The New York Times Magazine''. In the 1990s she became known for her work in Old Navy commercials where she wore her tra ...

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

as a fashion trendsetter, making several appearances in the magazine. Though Golden made no TV appearances, her impact on the contemporary music scene was such that she is referenced in the cultural commentary on television, ''

The Glass Teat ''The Glass Teat: Essays of Opinion on Television'' is a 1970 compilation of television reviews and essays written by Harlan Ellison as a regular weekly column for the ''Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the " ...

''. Still, Golden had concerns about the business side of her career, which she voiced in her '' Look'' magazine interview: "The easy part is to sit down and create. The hard part is trying to make yourself heard, the promotion." For reasons that remain unclear today, Atlantic Records suddenly dropped the ball, failing to promote ''Motor-Cycle''. It is curious that none of the songs, (all over five minutes in length), were edited down to the standard 7” format for radio, and no single was released ahead of the LP, a standard Industry practice. Atlantic was going through a major corporate restructuring; its roster was packed in 1969, with Golden’s mentors Ahmet Ertegun signing British rock bands, and Jerry Wexler dividing his time between Miami and Muscle Shoals (

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

, released on Atlantic that year) moving on. It can’t be overlooked that Golden had no management on a crowded label with a glut of releases that year. In such a competitive field, that was a fatal error. In the years since its release, ''Motor-Cycle'' continues to gain popularity via the Internet, and social media "thanks to the unusual persistence of her olden'sart, and the power of listeners' preferences."Shannon, Mitchell (May 4, 2009
"For This No-hit Musical Wonder, the Golden Age May Be Just Beginning".
/ref> The LP remains a rich source of samples, with Mark Oliver Everett using Golden’s spoken voice from “Gonna Fay’s” on his

MC Honky ''I Am the Messiah'' is the only album by MC Honky, released in 2002. Supposedly a middle-age disc jockey from Silverlake, California, MC Honky is promoted by, and widely considered to be, Mark Oliver Everett (or "E") of Eels (band), Eels. To sup ...

project, to the original track from the LP, “Get Together (With Yourself)” appearing on the 2022

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

TV miniseries and soundtrack,

Pam & Tommy ''Pam & Tommy'' is an American biographical drama miniseries chronicling the marriage between actress Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, played by Lily James and Sebastian Stan, respectively, during the period their unauthoris ...

Track listings

''Motor-Cycle'' samples

2003: Golden's spoken voice on "Gonna Fay's" (''Motor-Cycle'') is the centerpiece for "What a Bringdown" on '' I Am the Messiah'' (Spin-ART) by

, "widely considered to be Mark Oliver Everett (or "E") of the rock band

Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

." 2006: Golden's African (

Olatunji Olatunji is both a surname and a given name of Yoruba origin meaning "Wealth awakes again". Notable people with the name include: *Babatunde Olatunji (1927–2003), Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist * Olatunji Akin Euba (1935-2020) Niger ...

) inspired drumbeat on "Motor-Cycle Michael" (''Motor-Cycle'') appears on '' Beat Konducta Vol 1–2 Movie Scenes'' (Stones Throw Records) on the track "Gold Jungle (Tribe)" by hip-hop artist

Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...

1970s

Lotti Golden's eponymous sophomore offering was released on GRT Records (U.S. Label) in 1971. In a live performance for industry executives at NYC's Playboy Club, Golden was described by ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' as "GRT's Lotti: Incredible." Although elements of Golden's confessional approach remained (''Billboard'' labeled one song "biographical") for the most part, Golden's self-titled LP moved away from the innovative format of ''Motor-Cycle''. Writer Mitchell Shannon characterizes the shift: "Second time around, her music was more conventional and approachable, but lacked that initial compelling insistence of the previous release." Music critic,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, though not a fan of Golden (or Laura Nyro) thought the GRT record could take off with the proper promotion: "He hristgauwrote: 'Golden's egregious overstatement registers as a strength.' If you know about Christgau, you'll take that as an honest compliment." Shortly after Golden's album was released, financial problems caused the GRT label to go out of business.

Music journalism

In the 1970s Lotti Golden wrote rock journalism, primarily covering her musician friends. In a ''

Crawdaddy! ''Crawdaddy'' was an American rock music magazine launched in 1966. It was created by Paul Williams, a Swarthmore College student at the time, in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music. The magazine w ...

'' feature story Golden provides unique perspective on the genius of Mike (Michael) Bloomfield chronicling her 1972 San Francisco visit with the legendary guitar player and in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', Golden explores the making of keyboardist (and co-founder with Bloomfied of

Electric Flag The Electric Flag was an American soul rock band, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield f ...

)

Barry Goldberg Barry Joseph Goldberg (born December 25, 1942) is an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. Goldberg has co-produced albums by Percy Sledge, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, and the Textones, plus Bob Dylan's ve ...

's first solo LP. Golden's articles have appeared in ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential crit ...

'', ''

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

'' and other publications.

Writer/producer

1980–85: Electro/hip hop

In the early 1980s Lotti Golden transitioned from artist to writer/producer. Golden's 1982 international dance hit "

I Specialize in Love "I Specialize in Love" is a song written by Lotti Golden and Richard Scher. Mixed by Tee Scott, the song was a club hit in the early 1980s when recorded by American singer Sharon Brown, the niece of songwriter Phil Medley. Released as a single in ...

" co-written with musician Richard Scher, enabled her to move into record production: "The success gave

the freedom to demand production rights to her songs." In an interview for the anthology, ''Signed, Sealed and Delivered-True Life Stories of Women in Pop'', Golden stated that performing live was OK, but she preferred the recording studio, "that wonderful world of sound

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...

anything was possible." As a writer/producer, Golden gained artistic control of her work, becoming a major progenitor of electro and early hip hop. UK music historian Kevin Pearce describes Golden's transition from artist to producer: "I can still remember the delight at reading avidToop's "Rap Attack" and realizing that the Lotti Golden involved as part of electro pioneers Warp 9 in the early 1980s was the same Lotti Golden recording for Atlantic in 1969... with Bob Crewe producing the fantastic ''Motor-Cycle'', one of the greatest and criminally rarest records ever". Golden, with co-writer/producer Scher, wrote and recorded under the moniker Warp 9, a studio production project at the forefront of the electro movement, to which they eventually added live personnel. Warp 9's electro classics Nunk (1982) and

Light Years Away ''Light Years Away'' (french: Les Années lumière) is a 1981 film directed by Alain Tanner. It tells the story of a young man who meets an old man who says he was taught by birds how to fly and is building a flying machine. It is based on a nove ...

(1983), a tale of ancient astronaut visitation, characterize the sci-fi,

afrofuturist Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocultur ...

aspect of electro. Described as "the perfect instance of hip hop's contemporary ramifications," Golden and Scher worked "real emotion and intelligence into the world of experimental hip-hop and electro."Fitzpatrick, Rob, "The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Warp 9 – It's A Beat Wave," May 14, 201

/ref> Their records are ranked among the most iconic of the electro hip hop era. Among the early production teams using the

Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...

drum machine, Golden and ScherLewis, Pat (December 6, 1992). "Lotti Golden & Tommy Faragher", ''Music Connection'', p. 13. created a brand of "electo hip hop records with gorgeous textures and multiple layers." ''Newsweeks "Language Arts & Disciplines" highlighted Warp 9's experimental use of

vocoder A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation. The vocoder ...

s in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

(May 2014) characterized

as " a cornerstone of early 80's beatbox afrofuturism, inspired by Grandmaster's Flash's The Message, a brilliantly spare and sparse piece of electro hip-hop traversing inner and outer space." DJ Greg Wilson, the first to embrace electro in the UK, calculates the genre's influence on art and culture as "huge," ushering in the computer age, hip hop, and generating "a whole new approach to popular music." Warp 9's hits brought Golden to the attention of Island Record's chief

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

, resulting in a worldwide publishing deal with Island Music.Levy, Joe (March 19, 1988), East Coastings, Cash Box, p. 15. Golden (with Scher) went on to write for, produce and/or remix artists including

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

' hit single " Dirty Looks" from her '' Red Hot Rhythm & Blues'' album and TV Special,

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American actress and singer. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as '' Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

('' Say You Love Me''),

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group. Their work " Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, includ ...

Brenda K. Starr Brenda Joy Kaplan (born October 14, 1966), known by her stage name Brenda K. Starr, is an American singer and songwriter. She is well known originally in R&B, dance and pop but now mostly in salsa-based music. She is also well known for her 19 ...

('' I Want Your Love'' featuring guest rapper

Adam Yauch Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( ; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), better known under the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bass player, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. Besides his musical work, he also directed ...

of the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...

and

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

. During the early 1980s Golden began a longstanding collaborative relationship with producer Arthur Baker, co-writing the Latin

Freestyle music Freestyle music, also called Latin freestyle or Latin hip-hop ''(sic)'' is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia, primarily among Hispanic Americans and Italian Americans in the 1980s. I ...

classic "

Pickin' Up Pieces "Pickin' Up Pieces" is the lead single from Brenda K. Starr's debut album, '' I Want Your Love'', released in 1985 by Mirage Records. The song was produced by Arthur Baker, who co-wrote it with Lotti Golden Lotti Golden (born November 27, 1 ...

" by Brenda K Starr and co-producing Jennifer Holliday's Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Hard Times For Lovers" (Geffen). Golden contributed background vocals/arrangements for many of Baker's projects including the Goon Squad's "Eight Arms to Hold You," featured on '' The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. Golden worked with Baker on Artists United Against Apartheid, '' Sun City'', and is among the sixty-one artists (including

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...

, Grandmaster Melle Mel,

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and Gil Scott Heron) who participated in what rock critic

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...

describes as "the most diverse line up of popular musicians ever assembled for a single session." Golden appears in the video.

1985–89

Lotti Golden relocated to Los Angeles in 1985 establishing herself in LA's burgeoning songwriting scene, signing a worldwide publishing deal with MCA Music (later renewing and extending her contract with David Renzer, Chairman/CEO of the

Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

). In 1986, MCA Creative Director Carol Ware introduced Golden to writer/producer

Tommy Faragher Thomas Edward Faragher is an American producer, composer, songwriter, singer, and arranger. He is originally from Redlands, California. Performer Faragher started his career as a singer and keyboardist with his family, who formed a group called ...

, "on a hunch that the two young writer/producers would click as a team." The pair quickly gained a reputation for "richly produced, finely crafted urban dance music." By 1987 Golden was working almost exclusively with Faragher,Lavan, Metzler Rosemary (February 14, 1988). "When Cupid & Mammon Meet: It Can Be a Pofitable Venture Daily News "Business Section" New York. telling Cashbox: "We have a gold record he Jetsour first year working together." Golden returned to New York's

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

with Faragher, building a state-of-the-art recording studio, "decorated with archival black and white photos of John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, nd

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

, souvenirs from Lotti's jazz-fan parents." On Valentine's Day, 1988, Golden & Faragher were featured in the Business Section of the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ...

''. The article disclosed the pair feared romantic involvement would ruin their working relationship, but they took the chance, got married and formed their own production operation. In fact, the production on their own material was "so good they were invited in to produce tracks they didn't write," which included the R&B Pop group, the Jets' LP '' Magic'' on MCA (1987), certified RIAA Platinum, followed by ''

'', certified RIAA Gold, yielding the single "You Should Be Loving Me," which appeared on the soundtrack and film '' She's Out of Control''. In 1988, Golden and Faragher were enlisted by A&M to write and produce EG Daily's sophomore effort '' Lace Around the Wound'' (1989), featuring the single " Some People." Although the album never got the promotional push it deserved, several songs were later covered by

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

and appeared on the hit TV show

California Dreams ''California Dreams'' is an American teen sitcom that aired on NBC. It was part of the network's Saturday morning block, TNBC, premiering on September 12, 1992. Created by writers Brett Dewey and Ronald B. Solomon, and executive produced by Pet ...

. The real breakthrough for Golden in her partnership with Faragher came in 1989, when producer Arthur Baker phoned, announcing that

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 19 ...

was looking for a hit single to launch

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...

's sophomore LP. By the time Baker arrived, Golden had a working chord progression and title. The three completed the song in one session and Baker left with the demo in his pocket, vocals by Golden, resulting in the Top 5 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit, "

With Every Beat of My Heart "With Every Beat of My Heart" is a song recorded by American singer Taylor Dayne for her second studio album '' Can't Fight Fate'' (1989), which reached the Top 5 position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Released on October 10, 1989, the song writte ...

," the lead single from Dayne's Certified RIAA 3× Platinum '' Can't Fight Fate'' (Arista) album.

1990s

Lotti Golden was honored with the ASCAP Pop Award for "With Every Beat of My Heart" in 1991. Golden's "If You Lean on Me," was recorded by Canadian artist

Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...

'' Sudden Stop'' LP and featured in the 1991 action film, ''

Run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

''. Golden and Faragher's work with the O'Jays, fused urban R&B with their classic soul sound, coming "closest to accomplishing that fusion with the smoking, politically charged "Something For Nothing." The album won the O'Jays their first American Music Award in 1991. Dubbed "luminous tunesmiths and veteran popsters" in Billboard, the team's 1993 international hit,

The Right Kind of Love "The Right Kind of Love" is a song by American recording artist Jeremy Jordan. The single was released in late 1992 as one of the lead tracks from the ''Beverly Hills 90210'' soundtrack, later appearing on his debut album, '' Try My Love'' (199 ...

(Giant Records) co-produced with

Robbie Nevil Robert S. Nevil (born October 2, 1958) is an American pop singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist who had five ''Billboard'' top 40 hits including his songs " C'est la Vie" (#2, 1986), " Dominoes" (#14, 1987), and " Wot's It to Ya" (#10, 1 ...

(Billboard Top 15) featured on Fox's hit TV series ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

'' (listed by ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' at No. 20 of the top TV shows of the past 25 years) also appeared on the '' Beverly Hills 90210: The Soundtrack''. Golden and Faragher made music history in 1993, producing the British R&B girl band

Eternal Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...

, the first female group to reach one million units (album sales) in the UK. Eternal's debut LP, '' Always & Forever'' (EMI), certified 4× Platinum by BPI paved the way for other female UK groups like All Saints and the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...

. Golden's experience as a vocalist helped shape Eternal's vocal sound on the four songs she co-produced and wrote with Faragher, including the international hit single " Oh Baby I...", which topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at No. 4. The first UK girl group with six singles to reach the Top 15 on the UK charts from their debut LP, Eternal went on to become one of Britain's most successful girl groups achieving both international and domestic success. In 1994, Golden co-wrote Keep on Pushing Love for veteran soul singer

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

. The four way collaboration (Golden, Green, Baker & Faragher) resulted in "one of reen'sfinest recent releases." The single appears on Green's 1995 LP, Your Heart's in Good Hands, "a solid project that approaches the Rev. Green's classic work with Hi Records." In 1993 and 1994, Golden and Faragher reached No. 1 on Billboard's Jazz Charts, with ''Soul Embrace'' by Richard Elliot and

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country musi ...

's ''Heart To Heart'' album, (GRP) featuring "Freedom" performed by blues legend,

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shim ...

. Throughout the 1990s Golden and Faragher continued to write and produce international hits that appeared on the

and

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

for artists including Dana Dawson the group Montage and Arthur Baker. In 1998, Golden & Faragher introduced UK R&B artist

Hinda Hicks Hinda Hicks (born 1976) is a British and Tunisian-born singer, actress and artist who first gained notability with her musical career in the late '90s. She is best known for her debut album ''Hinda'', that charted at #20 on the 1998 UK Top 4 ...

with the Top 25 hit, "If You Want Me" propelling her debut album, ''Hinda'' (Island Records) to No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart, winning two 1999

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

nominations. Golden's partnership with Faragher continued for over a decade. An interview in the "

Music Connection ''Music Connection'' is a United States-based monthly music-trade magazine, which began publication in 1977. It caters to career-minded musicians, songwriters, recording artists and assorted music-industry support personnel. The magazine began ...

" provides insight into the collaborative methodology that made the pair a successful team: "I get involved in a lot of technical things, working out the arrangement and stuff like that," Faragher states, " ndLotti works on the complete feeling." Describing how songwriters can sometimes get too close to their work, becoming unwilling to modify or delete sections, Faragher pointed out, it was Golden, the iconoclast, who was willing to scrap work she felt wasn't up to par: "I might be attached to a certain section we worked so hard getting, and Lotti would say, 'Maybe we should throw this part out.' I go, 'Oh, no, you're kidding. I'm shocked- utshe's right. She's absolutely right."' By the close of the decade, Golden's professional partnership with Faragher ended in divorce; they have one child. In 2000, Golden's " I Should've Never Let You Go" co-written with Faragher, was the second hit single from the Australian girl group Bardot's No. 1 debut album, '' Bardot'', certified 2× Platinum by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

, from the Popstars reality TV show. Golden continued working into the early 2000s, but because her recording studio was lost in the divorce process, she could no longer artistically justify writing songs without creative control. The "

" interview, appearing over ten years before the partnership break-up, reveals just how important the production aspect of songwriting had become for Golden: "Golden & Faragher's pursuit of songwriting and production seems eons beyond the days of a cluttered

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...

office with an upright piano. What environment does a songwriter need today? Golden: 'This one.' (She gestures towards the conglomeration of keyboards, computers and recording equipment)."

Discography

Songwriter/Selected Songs * '' I Specialize in Love '' Sharon Brown * '' Nunk'' Warp 9 * ''

'' Warp 9 * ‘’

’’Brenda K. Starr * '' Some People'' E.G. Daily * '' Dirty Looks'' Diana Ross * '' Hard Times for Lovers'' Jennifer Holliday * ''

'' Taylor Dayne * '' Keep On Pushing Love'' Al Green * '' Oh Baby I... '' (1994) Eternal * '' The Right Kind of Love '' ( Jeremy Jordan * '' I Should've Never Let You Go'' Bardot

Literacy advocacy

In collaboration with the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

's Educational Outreach Program, Golden designed a songwriting workshop for the advancement of literacy, engaging New York City public school children in the art and craft of songwriting. The classroom based program, "Lyrics & Literacy/Words are Power" was created by Golden in accordance with the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and implemented in

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, ...

by Golden and the 92nd St. Y.McGuire, Cara Mae (October–December 2010
"Interview: Lotti Golden: Then and Now"
''Helmet Hair Magazine''

2010–present

''The Rolling Stone Years'', a 2011 memoir by rock photographer

Baron Wolman Baron Wolman (June 25, 1937 – November 2, 2020) was an American photographer best known for his work in the late 1960s for the music magazine ''Rolling Stone'', becoming the magazine's first chief photographer from 1967 until late 1970.Rhodes, ...

featured a previously unreleased portrait of Golden. In the book, Wolman recalls first hearing about Golden from

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...

and

Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...

; the trio routinely hit the New York clubs, scouting new talent, (see photo “The Making of Motor-Cycle, 1968-9”). A review of Wolman's book in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'', references Golden's previously unpublished portrait: "You’ll have your own personal favorites...but olman'sportrait of Lotti Golden, an artist who is unknown to me, appears interesting, intriguing, and important because of Wolman's great photograph." On

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

, April 16, 2016, High Moon Records reissued the original Atlantic 7" single that followed Motor-Cycle (with the participation of Warner Bros. Records and

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

). The reissue is a remastered version of a medley of the

Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include: *The Isley Brothers, American musical group **Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...

song

It's Your Thing "It's Your Thing" is a funk single by The Isley Brothers. Released in 1969, the anthem was an artistic response to Motown chief Berry Gordy's demanding hold on his artists after the Isleys left the label in late 1968. The lyrics of the chorus, ...

and "Sock It to Me Baby.” The Atlantic release of Golden performing a cover in 1969 was certainly an unusual way to introduce an artist who writes all her own material, with no single release ahead of the LP. On the B-side, is a girl-group inspired song written by Golden, "Annabelle With Bells (Home Made Girl)," a "gem that sounds like the Ronettes for the hippie generation." The reissue contains a picture sleeve with new cover art, a previously unreleased photo of Golden, and remastered audio. "Annabelle With Bells (Home Made Girl)," was not included in the 1969 LP, due to time constraints in pre-digital recording.

References

External links

Baron Wolman Photography
* http://jonimitchell.com/library/originals/jmOriginal_2664.pdf * http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/8596 * https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/14/the-101-strangest-records-on-spotify-warp-9-its-a-beat-wave * https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/26/from-joni-mitchell-to-laura-marling-how-female-troubadours-changed-music {{DEFAULTSORT:Golden, Lotti 1950 births Living people Singers from New York City American women singer-songwriters Guitarists from New York City Afrofuturists 20th-century American guitarists People from Brooklyn Brooklyn College alumni 20th-century American women guitarists Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American women