Annette Snell (March 22, 1945 – April 4, 1977) was an American R&B singer who recorded in the 1960s and 1970s. She was killed in the

Southern Airways Flight 242 Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, Unit ...

crash, at age 32.

Biography

She was born Annetta Snell in

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,813 in 2020. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersville is known as the "Kaolin Capital of the World" due to ...

, and in the early 1960s was a member of the vocal

backing group A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such ...

, the Mar-Vells. She then became a member of the girl group the Fabulettes, who made several recordings in 1965 and 1966. In 1968, Snell left the group to go to New York, and then to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, to pursue a solo career. Under the name Annetta, she recorded "Since There Is No More You" with Paul Kelly. Kelly then brought her to the attention of record producer and

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectu ...

Buddy Killen William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was an American record producer and Music publisher (popular music), music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network and Tree International Publishi ...

. More singles came, all written by Kelly, and her greatest success was achieved with the No. 19 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B hit "You Oughta' Be Here With Me" in 1973. She followed it up with two more R&B chart hits, also released on the Dial label, the following year, "Get Your Thing Together" (No. 44) and "Just as Hooked As I’ve Been" (No. 71). Clifford Davids, "Annette Snell: The Soul Diva aboard Flight 242", June 16, 2013
Retrieved October 16, 2013
Retrieved October 16, 2013 Snell then won a deal to record an album for

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...

with the

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s known as the Swampers. They initially produced one unreleased single, "Promises Should Never Be Broken," and Snell returned for a further session in early 1977. She was returning home via

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

after working on tracks for the album when her flight,

, crashed in New Hope, Georgia, during a severe thunderstorm on April 4, 1977, killing her at age 32. She was buried in Dade North Memorial Park Cemetery in

Opa-locka Opa-locka () is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Spanning roughly , it is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. Opa-locka was founded ...

, Florida. Snell was married to Pete Jackson of Touch of Class.

References

External links

Classic and rare Soul Sisters 50s–70s : Annette Snell : The collection (1970–1977)

Annette Snell at Discogs.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, Annette 1945 births 1977 deaths Accidental deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century African-American women singers American rhythm and blues singers Singers from Miami Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1977 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents