Rachel Sweet (born July 28, 1962) is an American singer, television writer and actress.

Early life and education

Rachel Sweet was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

.Campbell, Mary (1979)
Rachel Sweet: Busy Singer at 16, Made Debut at 5
, Lewiston ''Daily Sun'', September 12, 1979, p. 16, retrieved 2010-11-22. Because she pursued her singing career so young, she dropped out of high school to concentrate on her career, but she was still required to devote time to her studies. Sweet resumed her education via correspondence courses, and she eventually graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

with a degree in French and English Literature in 1988.

Singing career

Sweet began her singing career at age three when she won an electric garage door opener in a local talent contest after singing " I'm a Little Dutch Girl." She began recording commercials at the age of six, toured with

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...

, and performed in Las Vegas as the opening act for

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

at the age of 12.Patterson, Jim (1992)
Best-of Album Leaves Desire for new Rachel Sweet Release
, ''Daily News'', November 8, 1992, p. 12C, retrieved 2010-11-22 She began recording

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

in 1974, but with little success beyond one minor hit. Switching to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, she signed to

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

and released her first album, '' Fool Around'', in 1978, dropping out of high school to concentrate on her career, although she was still required to devote time to her studies.Adams, Deanna R. (2002) ''Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection'', , p. 397-8Loder, Kurt (1980)
Singer Rachel Sweet needs to take school books on tour
, '' Tuscaloosa News'', May 23, 1980, p. 12 Sweet was backed by The Records on the Stiff Records tour in 1978. The album was a critical success, but sales were poor, although she did have some success with the single " B-A-B-Y" (a cover of the 1966

Carla Thomas Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1960) ...

song), which was a

top-40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top ...

hit in the UK.Rachel Sweet
, Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-11-22 The record label generated some controversy by pushing a

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

-like image for her. Her follow-up album, '' Protect the Innocent'', produced by Martin Rushent and

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (; born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. Early life He was born in Fulham in November 1952 to parents Ken and Doreen. ...

,Deming, Mark " ''Protect the Innocent'' Review,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, retrieved 2010-11-22 was largely ignored by the public and the music press, although it was popular with her fans and launched a well-received North American tour in 1980 with her band The Toys. She signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1981, releasing the album ''... And Then He Kissed Me'' and its hit single " Everlasting Love", a duet with Rex Smith. The album also includes " Shadows of the Night," later a hit for

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; formerly and still professionally Benatar ; born January 10, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, and 15 US ''Billboa ...

. Sweet released only one more album, 1982's ''Blame It on Love'', which featured the song "Voo Doo". The video for the song was played on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, and she performed the song on the musical TV show '' Solid Gold''. An album she recorded tracks for in 1982-83 remains unreleased. She returned to music sporadically as she focused on her education, co-writing and recording the title song for John Waters' film ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'', and several songs for Waters' musical film '' Cry-Baby''. In 1992,

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

released ''Fool Around: The Best of Rachel Sweet''. The CD compilation includes all of her first album, ''Fool Around'', as well as tracks from her other three albums and the theme from ''Hairspray''.

Film and television

In 1982, Sweet had a starring role in the low-budget musical film ''Rock 'n' Roll Hotel'', which also featured Judd Nelson and was filmed in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, at the then-inoperative Jefferson Hotel. Shooting in Richmond with local extras began in October 1982 and was halted abruptly in December. The film's original 3D version, with scenes in the style of early

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s, received only two screenings in 1983, in Los Angeles and New York. It was never released theatrically, even after it was eventually re-cut and completed in 1986 under the supervision of Sweet's father, Dick. Sweet also appeared in the 1989 musical film ''

Sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

'', performing "Life Ain't Worth Living (When You're Dead)". While the song does not appear on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

released it as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the soundtrack single "Romance (Love Theme from "Sing") by

Paul Carrack Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while '' ...

and

Terri Nunn Terri Kathleen Nunn (born June 26, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She is known as the vocalist of the 1980s New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band Berlin (band), Berlin. Biography Nunn was born in Los Angeles, California on June 2 ...

. In 1989 and 1990, Sweet hosted a show on The Comedy Channel (forerunner of

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

) called ''The Sweet Life'', which also featured

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...

. Her recording of the theme song to the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

series ''

Clarissa Explains It All ''Clarissa Explains It All'' is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon. In the series, Clarissa Darling ( Melissa Joan Hart) is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happeni ...

'' was a reworking of the theme song from ''The Sweet Life''. She also provided vocals for songs in the ''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

'' animated series. Sweet had a minor role as

George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rel ...

's cousin in " The Contest", a 1992 episode of the TV sitcom ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...

''. She played a waitress in the 1994 film comedy '' All Tied Up''. Focusing on a writing and producing career in television since the late 1990s, she has been a writer and/or executive producer on series including ''

Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC for five seasons from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002, with a total of 119 episodes. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Mont ...

'', ''Commando Nanny'', '' George Lopez'', ''

Hot in Cleveland ''Hot in Cleveland'' is an American television sitcom aired on TV Land and starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White. The series, which was TV Land's first original series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was ...

'', ''

2 Broke Girls ''2 Broke Girls'' (stylized as ''2 Broke Girl$'') is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 2011, to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitn ...

'', '' The Single Guy'' and '' ''The Goldbergs''''.

Personal life

Sweet owned

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

's former home Los Pavoreales, selling it in 2010. Sweet married television writer and producer Tom Palmer in 1997; they have two children.

Discography

Albums

* '' Fool Around'' (1978), Stiff - US No. 97" Rachel Sweet - Charts and Awards,

, retrieved November 22, 2010 * '' Protect the Innocent'' (1980), Stiff - US No. 123 * ''... And Then He Kissed Me'' (1981), Columbia - US No. 124 *''Blame It on Love'' (1982), Columbia *''Alive in America'' (2022), Renaissance Records (recorded 1980, with The Toys)

Compilation albums

* ''B.A.B.Y. - the Best of Rachel Sweet'' (1978), Stiff * ''Fool Around: The Best of Rachel Sweet'' (1992),

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

* ''...And Then He Kissed Me / Blame It On Love'' (2005), Sony * ''Baby: Complete Stiff Recordings 1978 - 1980'' (2014), RPM Records UK

Singles

* "Any Port in a Storm" (1976), Derrick * "Paper Airplane" (1976), Derrick * "The Ballad of Mable Ruth Miller and John Wesley Pritchett" (1976), Derrick * " B-A-B-Y" (1978), Stiff - UK No. 35, AUS No. 47 * "Stranger in the House" (1978), Stiff-Columbia * "Baby Let's Play House" (1979), Stiff * " I Go to Pieces" (1979), Stiff - AUS No. 36 * "Tonight" (1980), Stiff * "Spellbound" (1980), Stiff - US No. 107 * "Fool's Gold" (1980), Stiff * "Lover's Lane" (1980), Stiff/Columbia * " Everlasting Love" (with Rex Smith) (1981), Columbia - US No. 32, UK No. 35,Rex Smith And Rachel Sweet
, Chart Stats, retrieved November 22, 2010 AUS No. 41 * " Then He Kissed Me / Be My Baby" (1981), CBS - AUS No. 55 * " Shadows of the Night" (1981), CBS * "Voo Doo" (1982), Columbia - US No. 72 * "Hairspray" (1988), MCA

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet, Rachel 1962 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women singers Actresses from Akron, Ohio American country singer-songwriters American women country singers American film actresses American women pop singers American television actresses American women new wave singers Television producers from Ohio American television writers Country musicians from Ohio Musicians from Akron, Ohio Screenwriters from Ohio Singer-songwriters from Ohio American women television producers American women television writers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women