Orsa Lia, born in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, is a singer. She recorded some jingles for television commercials in the 1970s before signing on with an upstart record label,
Infinity Records
Infinity Records was a subsidiary of MCA Records established in New York City in 1977. The label was conceived by MCA president Sidney Sheinberg as a way for the Los Angeles-based entertainment conglomerate to expand its business on the East Coas ...
, in the late 1970s.
She is best known for the song, "I Never Said I Love You", which was written and produced by
Hal David
Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick.
Early life
David was born and raised in New ...
and Archie Jordan. David had been a longtime collaborator with
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...
on many well-known songs, most notably for singer
Dionne Warwick
Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...
. Country singer Barbara Mandrell recorded "I Never Said I Love You" on her 1976 lp "Midnight Angel". Although "I Never Said I Love You" only reached number 84 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart in April 1979, the song did spend one week at number one on the ''Billboard''
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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
chart that same month. It was Lia's only song to reach the music charts in the United States. It also peaked at number 63 in Australia.
Later in 1979, Lia recorded a
duet
A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
with singer
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. Gray's music spanned multiple genres, including soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Cro ...
, who was also signed to Infinity Records. However, by this time the label was in dire financial straits, and it wound up folding and becoming a part of its parent company,
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
.
See also
*
References
*Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American women singers
Musicians from Virginia
21st-century American women
{{US-singer-stub