Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs "

San Francisco Bay Blues "San Francisco Bay Blues" is an American folk song and is generally considered to be the most famous composition by Jesse Fuller. Fuller first recorded the song in 1954, which was released by the World Song label in 1955. A "one-man band" renditio ...

", "

Poetry Man "Poetry Man" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow. It was written by Snow, produced by Dino Airali, and first appeared on her 1974 self-titled debut album. Composition/ recording/ release "Poetry Man" was the second song writ ...

", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited guest vocals backing Paul Simon on "

Gone at Last "Gone at Last" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his fourth studio album, '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Phoebe Snow and the Jessy Dixon Singers provid ...

". She recorded "

" also. She was described by ''

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 d ...

'' as a "

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

grounded in a bluesy growl and capable of sweeping over four octaves." Snow also sang numerous commercial

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

s for many U.S. products during the 1980s and 1990s, including General Foods International Coffees,

Salon Selectives Salon Selectives is a line of hair care products, ranging from shampoos and hair conditioners to hair mousses, sprays, gels, and oils. Salon Selectives was the first salon-inspired mass market hair care brand, introduced by Helene Curtis in 19 ...

, and

Stouffer's Stouffer's is a brand of frozen prepared foods currently owned by Nestlé. Its products are available in the United States and Canada. Stouffer's is known for such popular fare as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, ravioli, and salisbury ...

. Snow experienced success in Australia in the late 1970s and early 1980s with five top 100 albums in that territory. In 1995 she recorded a gospel album with

Sisters of Glory The Sisters of Glory was a US gospel band that included Thelma Houston, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden and Albertina Walker. After performing for the Pope John Paul II in Rome at the Vatican, the quintet released their only album entitled ...

Early life, family and education

Phoebe Ann Laub was born in New York City in 1950, and raised in a musical household in which Delta blues,

Broadway show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

Dixieland jazz Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...

, classical music, and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

recordings were played around the clock. Her father, Merrill Laub, an exterminator by trade, had an encyclopedic knowledge of American film and theater and was also an avid collector and restorer of antiques. Her mother, Lili Laub, was a dance teacher who had performed with the Martha Graham group. She was Jewish. Snow was raised in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

, and graduated from

Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...

in 1968. She subsequently attended

Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, with a history of being ...

Mount Carroll, Illinois Mount Carroll is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. It is the Carroll County seat. The population was 1479 at the 2020 census. Due to its elevation and northwesterly location, Mount Carroll is subject to unusually cold winter wea ...

, but did not graduate. As a student, she carried her prized

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

000-18 acoustic guitar from club to club in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, playing and singing on amateur nights. Her stage name came from an early 1900s fictional character featured in Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad ads. In painted and later photographic print images, the young woman 'Phoebe Snow' was dressed all in white to emphasize the cleanliness of the line's passenger trains. (Lackawanna's locomotives at the time burned anthracite coal which created less soot than bituminous coal.)

Career

It was at

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...

club in 1972 that

Denny Cordell Dennis Cordell-Lavarack (1 August 1943 – 18 February 1995), known as Denny Cordell, was an English record producer. He is notable for his mid-1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, The Move, Procol ...

, co-owner (with Leon Russell) of

Shelter Records Shelter Records was a U.S. record label started by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell that operated from 1969 to 1981. The company established offices in both Los Angeles and Tulsa, Russell's home town, where the label sought to promote a "workshop ...

, was so taken by the singer that he signed her to the label and produced her first recording, recording at

The Church Studio The Church Studio is a recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma established in 1972 by musician, songwriter, and producer Leon Russell. Located in a converted church building, the studio has since been cited as being the heart of the Tulsa Sound. H ...

. She released an

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous album, ''

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs " San Francisco Bay Blues", " Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited ...

'', including "

" and "

", in 1974, featuring guest performances by

The Persuasions The Persuasions are an American a cappella group that began singing together in Brooklyn, New York in the mid-1960s. The Persuasions were formed in Brooklyn in 1962, singing a cappella under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock a ...

, and

Dave Mason David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic. Over the course of his career, Mason has played and recorded with many notable pop and rock mu ...

WMMS Presents Jackson Browne - 1975 print ad

The album spawned a top five 1975 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with "Poetry Man" and was itself a top-five album in '' Billboard'', for which she received a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

. The cover of ''

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 ...

'' magazine followed, while she performed as the opening act for tours by Jackson Browne and Paul Simon. (She provided credited guest vocals backing Simon on the gospel-tinged hit single "Gone at Last" later in 1975—#23 on the Hot 100.) The same year, 1975, also brought the first of several appearances as a musical guest on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'', on which Snow performed both solo and in duets with Simon and

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

. During the 1975 appearance, she was seven months pregnant with her daughter, Valerie. Her backup vocal is heard on Simon's hit song "

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the singl ...

," along with

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

and Patti Austin, from 1975. Both "Gone at Last" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" appear on Simon's Grammy-winning 1975 album ''

Still Crazy After All These Years ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' is the fourth solo studio album by Paul Simon. Recorded and released in 1975, the album produced four U.S. Top 40 hits: " 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (No. 1), " Gone at Last" (No. 23), " My Little Town" (No. ...

.'' Legal battles took place between Snow and Shelter Records. Snow ended up signed to Columbia Records. Her second album, '' Second Childhood'', appeared in 1976, produced by

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business pa ...

. It was jazzier and more introspective, and was a RIAA Certified Gold Album for Snow, with the Gold Album awarded on July 9, 1976. She moved to a more rock-oriented sound for '' It Looks Like Snow'', released later in 1976 with

David Rubinson David Rubinson (born August 7, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York)Internet Movie DatabaseMini-Biography of David Rubinson Retrieved 2012-06-05.as of 2017 it's 1962? is an American recording engineer and music producer, who was particularly involved in music ...

producing. 1977 saw ''

Never Letting Go ''Never Letting Go'' is the fourth album by singer–songwriter Phoebe Snow, released in 1977. Reception In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote "...the record marked a fall-off in both her commercial success and h ...

'', again with Ramone, while 1978's '' Against the Grain'' was helmed by

Barry Beckett Barry Edward Beckett (February 4, 1943 – June 10, 2009) was an American keyboardist, session musician, record producer, and studio founder. He is best known for his work with David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and Roger Hawkins, his bandmates in ...

. After that, Snow parted ways with Columbia; she would later say that the stress of her parental obligations compromised her ability to make music effectively. In 1979, she toured extensively throughout the US and Canada with noted guitarist

Arlen Roth Arlen Roth (born October 30, 1952) is an American guitarist, teacher, and author. From 1982 to 1992, he was a columnist for ''Guitar Player'' magazine. Those ten years of columns became a book, ''Hot Guitar''. His father Al Ross (Abraham Roth) ...

as her lead guitarist and musical director. Her January 1979 cover of the

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

song " Every Night" reached No. 37 in the UK. In 1981, Snow, then signed with

Mirage Records Mirage Records is the name of multiple music business entities, the most notable of which was an American record label founded by Jerry and Bob Greenberg in 1980. The label, also known as Mirage Music or simply Mirage, was distributed first by A ...

, released the album ''

Rock Away ''Rock Away'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981. Background/recording Following her massively successful 1974 self-title debut album, Phoebe Snow had seen her fortunes dwin ...

'', but the album disappointed music critic Geoffrey Himes. The 1983 '' Rolling Stone Record Guide'' summed up Snow's career to that point by saying: "One of the most gifted voices of her generation, Phoebe Snow can do just about anything stylistically as well as technically. … The question that's still unanswered is how best to channel such talent." Snow spent long periods away from recording, often singing commercial

jingles A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

for

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

, General Foods International Coffees,

, Hampton Bay Ceiling Fans, and others to support herself and her daughter. Snow recorded the theme song for the first season of the TV series '' 9 to 5''. (Dolly Parton's vocals were used for the rest of the show's run.) Snow also sang the theme song for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'' during the show's first season (1987–88). In 1988, a duet with

, called "Dreams I Dream," reached No. 11 on the US adult contemporary charts. Snow returned to recording with '' Something Real'' in 1989 and gathered a few more hits on the Adult Contemporary charts. Also, Snow composed WDIV-TV (Detroit)'s "Go 4 It!" campaign in 1980. She sang "Ancient Places, Sacred Lands", composed by Steve Horelick, on ''

Reading Rainbow ''Reading Rainbow'' is an American educational children's television series that originally aired on PBS and afterwards PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 ...

s tenth episode, ''The Gift of the Sacred Dog''. The episode was based on the book of the same name by Paul Goble and was narrated by actor

Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was an American actor. He portrayed Cochise in the television series '' Broken Arrow'', Kane in the 1979–1981 series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', Commander Kang in '' Star Tr ...

. It was shot in

Crow Agency, Montana Crow Agency ( cro, awaasúuchia) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Ba ...

, in 1983. Snow performed in 1989 on stage at

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, desi ...

in New York City, as part of ''

Our Common Future __NOTOC__ ''Our Common Future'', also known as the Brundtland Report, was published on October 1987 by the United Nations through the Oxford University Press. This publication was in recognition of Gro Harlem Brundtland's, former Norwegian Prime M ...

'': a five-hour live television broadcast originating from several countries. In 1990, she contributed a cover version of the

Delaney & Bonnie Delaney & Bonnie were an American duo of singer-songwriters Delaney Bramlett and Bonnie Bramlett. In 1969 and 1970, they fronted a rock/soul ensemble, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, whose members at different times included Duane Allman, Gregg ...

song "Get Ourselves Together" to the Elektra compilation Rubáiyát, which included

Earth Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million ...

guitarist Dick Smith. In 1992, she toured with Donald Fagen's New York Rock and Soul Revue and was featured on the group's album recorded live at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Throughout the 1990s, she made numerous appearances on the

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

radio show. She sang live for specials and birthday shows. In 1997, she sang the '' Roseanne'' theme song ''a cappella'' during the closing moments of the final episode. In 1995, Snow participated in '' The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True'' at the Lincoln Center in New York City, singing a distinctive medley of "If I Only Had a Brain; a Heart; the Nerve". In addition, the concert featured performances by Jewel,

Joel Grey Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932) is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical '' Cabaret'' on Broadway as well as in the 1972 fi ...

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

, and Jackson Browne, among others. An album of the concert was released on compact disc on

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 ...

as catalog number R2 72405. Snow joined with the pop group

Zap Mama Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Zap Mama sings polyphonic and afro-pop music, a harmonic music with a mixture of infused African vocal techniques, urban, hip hop with emphasis on voice. The worldwide success of Zap Ma ...

, who recorded its own version of Snow's "Poetry Man" in an impromptu duet on the PBS series ''Sessions at West 54th''. Hawaiian girl group Nā Leo Pilimehana also had a hit on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart in 1999 with its cover version of "Poetry Man". In May 1998, Snow received the Cultural Achievement Award from New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Snow performed for US President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, First Lady

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, and his cabinet at Camp David in 1999. In 2003, Snow released her album ''Natural Wonder'' on Eagle Records, containing 10 original tracks, her first original material in 14 years. Snow performed at

's wedding in 2008, and made a special appearance in the film '' Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom'' as herself. Some of her music was also featured on the soundtrack of the film. Her ''Live'' album (2008) featured many of her hits as well as a cover of "

Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles char ...

Personal life and death

Between 1975 and 1978 Snow was married to Phil Kearns (who later came out as gay). She had a daughter, Valerie Rose, who was born with severe brain damage. Snow resolved not to institutionalize Valerie, and cared for her at home until Valerie died on March 19, 2007, at the age of 31. Snow's efforts to care for Valerie nearly ended her career. She continued to take voice lessons, and she studied opera informally. Snow resided in Bergen County, New Jersey, and in her later years she embraced

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

. Phoebe Snow suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on January 19, 2010, and slipped into a coma, enduring bouts of blood clots,

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

and

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. She died on April 26, 2011, at age 60 in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...

Discography

Albums

Compilations

* 1981: ''The Best of Phoebe Snow'' * 1995: ''P.S.'' * 2001: ''The Very Best of Phoebe Snow'' * 2012: ''Playlist: The Very Best of Phoebe Snow''

Singles

With other artists

* 1975: "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (''

'' album) – with Paul Simon (only background vocals) * 1975: "Gone at Last" (''

'' album) – with Paul Simon * 1975: "Hymn" (''

Aftertones ''Aftertones'' is the eighth album by American singer/songwriter Janis Ian, recorded 1975 in various New York studios and released 1976 by Columbia Records. "Love Is Blind" was a #1 single in Japan for six months. It was the highest-selling album ...

'' album) — with

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...

* 1976: "Smile" (''

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

'' album) – with

* 1977: "Everybody Has a Dream" ('' The Stranger'' album) – with Billy Joel (only background vocals) * 1978: "Reelin'" (''One-Eyed Jack'' album) with

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

* 1980: "Sometimes Love Forgets" (''Hot Spot'' album) — with Steve Goodman * 1982: "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (''

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

'' album) — with

* 1982: "Hammer & Nails" (''Experiment in White'' album) – with

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Musical career In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird Records. A ...

* 1982: "Whether or Not the World Gets Better" ('' Roll It'' album) – with Jimmy Salvemini * 1984: "Gravity's Angel" (''

Mister Heartbreak ''Mister Heartbreak'' is the second studio album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released on February 14, 1984. Like its predecessor, it contains reworked elements of Anderson's ''United States'' ("Langue d'Amour", "Ko ...

'' album) – with

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

(only background vocals) * 1984: "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe" ('' You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd'' album) – with

The J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

(only background vocals) * 1987: "The One" ('' Unchain My Heart'' album) – with Joe Cocker * 1987: "Dreams I Dream" ('' Two Hearts'' album) – with

* 1984: "Thankful N'Thoughtful" (''

Night Lines ''Night Lines'' was a Canadian radio series, which aired on CBC Stereo from 1984 to 1997.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995''. ECW Press. . The show, which aired on Fr ...

'' album) — with

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

* 1984: "Between Old and New York" (''Night Lines'' album) — with

* 1990: "Don't Piss Me Off" (''Funk of Ages'' album) – with

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Rol ...

* 1980: "Club Soul City" (''Scene of the Crime'' album) – with Killer Joe * 1991: "Tossin' and Turnin'" (''Johnnie Be Back'' album) — with Johnnie Johnson * 1991: "Don't Like the Way You Look at My Love" (''Russ Irwin'' album) – with Russ Irwin (only background vocals) * 1992: "Knock on Wood" (''The New York Rock and Soul Revue'' album) — with Michael McDonald * 1993: "A Lover's Question" (''Portrait of the Blues'' album) — with Lou Rawls * 1994: "The Feeling" (''

Robotix ''Robotix'' is a 1985 American animated series based on the original Milton Bradley toyline of the same name featured on the '' Super Sunday'' programming block. The toyline is of the construction type that includes motors, wheels and pincers a ...

'' album) – with Program 2 * 1993: "Inner City Blues" ('' The World's Most Dangerous Party'' album) – with

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both ''Late Ni ...

& the Party Boys of Rock 'N' Roll * 1993: "My Emotion" (''"Yuri" Original Soundtrack'' album) – with

Hiroshi Fujiwara (born 1964) is a Japanese musician, producer, and designer. Life Fujiwara was born in Ise, Mie. He moved to Tokyo at eighteen and became a standout in the Harajuku street fashion scene. During a trip to New York City in the early 1980s he was i ...

* 1996: "Baby I'm Yours" (''Naked City'' album) — with Avenue Blue feat.

Jeff Golub Jeff Golub (April 15, 1955 – January 1, 2015) was an American jazz guitarist who had a solo career and who led the band Avenue Blue. He worked as a sideman for a number of rock and pop musicians. He was arguably best known for his work with Rod ...

* 1996: "Three Little Birds" (''One World!'' album) — with

Gregory Abbott Gregory Joel Abbott (born April 2, 1954) is an American singer, musician, composer and producer. Although he continues to record to date, he is best known for his singles in the mid-1980s including his platinum single, "Shake You Down", from h ...

* 1997: "People Get Ready" (''Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Friends'' album) — with

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album '' Graceland'', and have won ...

* 1999: "Fugitive of Love" (''The Importance of Being'' album) – with Ernest Kohl * 1999: "The Best Thing" (''In My Head'' album) — with

Robert Lamm Robert William Lamm (born October 13, 1944) is an American keyboardist, guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago. He wrote many of the band's biggest hits, including " Questions 67 & 68", "Does ...

* 1999: "Swept Away" (''In My Head'' album) — with

* 1999: "One Too Many Mornings" ('' Portraits of Bob Dylan'' album) — with

Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...

* 1999: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (Harmony album) – with Will & Rainbow * 2003: "For the Love of You" (Harmony album) – with Will & Rainbow * 2003: "Trouble in Mind" (Harmony album) – with Will & Rainbow * 2004: "B-itch/Dumb A-ss" ('' Back In 20'' album) – with Gary U.S. Bonds * 2008: "Pray for the USA" (''

Yes We Can! Yes We Can! is a Channel 8 (Singaporean TV channel), Mediacorp Channel 8 Chinese New Year drama. It stars Romeo Tan, Rebecca Lim, Xu Bin, Sora Ma, Chen Liping, Chen Hanwei, Eelyn Kok and Yao Wenlong as the main casts of the series. The show aire ...

'' album) – with Maria Muldaur, Women's Voices For Peace Choir * 2009: "Monkey Around" (Etruscan Soul album) — with Rob Paparozzi * 2018: "Oh Happy Day" (''Christmas at the Vatican'' singles) – with

CeCe Peniston Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song " Finally" re ...

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Gramm ...

, Recorded Live at The Aula Paolo VI, Vatican City, probably on December 16, 1994.

Various-artists compilations

* 1982: "9 to 5" ('' 9 to 5'' TV programs theme song (1982–1983, 1986–1988) First Season Opening Theme) –

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

cover * 1989: "Darling Be Home Soon" ('' ude Awakening'' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album) — The Lovin' Spoonful cover * 1990: "Get Ourselves Together" (''Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary'' album) — Delaney, Bonnie & Friends cover * 1995: "Merry Christmas Baby" (''Winter Fire & Snow'' album) — Johnny Moore's Three Blazers cover * 1997: "Time and Love" (''Time and Love – The Music of Laura Nyro'' album) —

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 ...

cover * 2002: "Single Again" (Sincerely -Mariya Takeuchi Songbook- album) —

Mariya Takeuchi is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Regarded as an influential figure in the city pop genre, she is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan, having sold over 16 million records, and has received several accolades. Her husband is Tatsu ...

cover * 2002: "Always Here for You" (Once in a Lifetime -Mayo Okamoto Songbook- album) —

Mayo Okamoto is a Japanese pop singer and songwriter. Her 1995 debut single "Tomorrow" peaked at number 1 on the Oricon weekly single charts. She released her greatest hits album ''Rise 1'' in 2000. The album topped the Oricon weekly album charts. Expo 20 ...

cover, Original song title "Dear..." * 2003: "Beams of Heaven" (''Shout, Sister, Shout! – a Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe'' album) — Sister Rosetta Tharpe cover * 2012: "In My Girlish Days" (''....First Came Memphis Minnie'' album) —

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

cover

References

External links

Unofficial fan site

''Soul Covers'' by Michael Awkward featuring research on Phoebe Snow

Phoebe's tribute to Valerie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Snow, Phoebe 1950 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American singers American contraltos American women singer-songwriters American blues singer-songwriters American blues singers American folk singers American folk guitarists American blues guitarists American acoustic guitarists Jewish American musicians Shimer College alumni Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Singers with a four-octave vocal range Teaneck High School alumni American Buddhists Jewish folk singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from New Jersey Guitarists from New York City 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American women guitarists 21st-century American Jews Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American women The New York Rock and Soul Revue members Mirage Records artists

Early life, family and education

Career

Personal life and death

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles

With other artists

Various-artists compilations

See also

References

External links