Rose Marie McCoy (April 19, 1922 – January 20, 2015) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. She began her career as an aspiring singer before becoming a prolific songwriter during the 1950s and 1960s. Many artists have recorded some of the over 800 songs she published, including

Big Maybelle Mabel Louise Smith (May 1, 1924 – January 23, 1972), known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Childhood and musical background Born in J ...

, James Brown,

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for At ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

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". With ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, and

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voc ...

Life and career

Early life

McCoy was born Rose Marie Hinton to Levi and Celetia Brazil Hinton in Oneida,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

, on April 19, 1922. Her father was a farmer. She later married James McCoy and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

with $6 in her pocket to pursue a

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung accompaniment, wi ...

career in 1942. Living in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

, she supported herself by working at a Chinese laundry and performing at nightclubs on the weekends. McCoy eventually booked gigs at famous venues such as the Baby Grand in Harlem, the Flame Show Bar in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, the Sportsmen's Club in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

and Basin Street in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. She he opened for performers like

Moms Mabley Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1894 – May 23, 1975), known by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of th ...

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, and

Pigmeat Markham Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be ...

Songwriting career

In 1952, Rose Marie McCoy wrote and recorded two songs for the newly formed

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

label Wheeler Records, "Cheating Blues" and "Georgie Boy Blues". After publishers heard these songs they sought her out, and she started working in the

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 ...

.Guy Arseneau, "Long Playing: Rose Marie McCoy is still churning out the tunes at 92"
Retrieved 24 January 2015 One of the first songs she was asked to write was a half-spoken, half-sung song, "Gabbin' Blues", co-written with

Leroy Kirkland Leroy E. Kirkland (February 10, 1904 or 1906 – April 6, 1988) was an American arranger, bandleader, guitarist and songwriter whose career spanned the eras of big band jazz, R&B, rock and roll and soul. Life and career Born in Columbia, South Ca ...

, and sung by

with the spoken part provided by McCoy herself. "Gabbin' Blues", which reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart, was the first big hit for Big Maybelle and the songwriter's first hit.Charted songs written by Rose Marie McCoy, ''MusicVf.com''
Retrieved 24 January 2015. McCoy wrote other songs for Big Maybelle, and other popular R&B artists including

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

("If I Had Any Sense I'd Go Back Home" and "House Party") and co-wrote, with

Fred Mendelsohn Fred Mendelsohn (May 16, 1917 – April 28, 2000) was an American music executive. The president of Savoy Records for 42 years, he was the first man to ever record, promote and market black gospel music as a national company. His dedicatio ...

, Nappy Brown's 1955 single " Don't Be Angry" (also recorded for the

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

market by the Crew-Cuts). In 1954, Rose Marie McCoy teamed with songwriter Charles Singleton. They soon scored their first hit, " It Hurts Me to My Heart", recorded in 1954 by Faye Adams. Their collaboration lasted about eight years and, individually and together, they penned many hits for the top artists of the time, including

's "I Beg Of You", The Eagles' "

Trying to Get to You "Tryin' to Get to You" is a song written by R&B singer songwriters Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton. It was originally recorded by the Washington DC vocal group The Eagles in 1954 and released in mid-1954 on Mercury Records 70391. The f ...

" (later recorded in Presley's '' Sun Sessions''),

's "

Mambo Baby "Mambo Baby" is a 1954 single written by Charles Singleton and Rose Marie McCoy and performed by Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as t ...

", and Nappy Brown's "Little by Little". Singleton and McCoy's tunes were also recorded by

("If I May", "My Personal Possession"),

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" (1 ...

("Letter from My Darling"),

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of " C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the '' Billboard'' c ...

Big Joe Turner Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. According to songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." His greatest fame was due t ...

, The Du Droppers, Little Esther,

The Clovers The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s.The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music. General Editor: Colin Larkin. First published 1993 (UK). . The Clovers p77. They had ...

, and many other top artists of the time. After the Singleton and McCoy team split up, Rose Marie McCoy continued to write songs on her own and collaborated with other writers. Noted for her independent stance, McCoy turned down several opportunities to join major

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

s such as

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 ''mot ...

Stax Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface ( API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community. Traditionally, XML APIs are either: * DOM based - the entire document is read i ...

and

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, so she could keep control of her music. One of her most successful songs was "

It's Gonna Work Out Fine "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" is a song written by Rose Marie McCoy and Joe Seneca (also known as Sylvia McKinney). It was originally released by Ike & Tina Turner in 1961 as a single from their album ''Dynamite!'' (1962). The record is noted for b ...

", co-written with

Joe Seneca Joe Seneca (January 14, 1919 – August 15, 1996) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for Willie Brown in '' Crossroads'' (1986), Dr. Meadows in '' The Blob'' (1988), and Dr. Hanes in ''The Cosby Show''. Life and ca ...

(as Sylvia McKinney), which was released by

in 1961. It reached number 14 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 2 on the R&B chart, earning them their first

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination. She also collaborated successfully with songwriter

Helen Miller Helen Miller may refer to: * Helen Miller (cricketer) (1915–1972), New Zealand cricketer * Helen Miller (politician) (born 1945), American politician * Helen Miller (songwriter) (1925–2006), American songwriter * Helen Hill Miller (1899–1995 ...

, writing "We'll Cry Together" for Maxine Brown, and "Got to See If I Can't Get Mommy (To Come Back Home)" for

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...

. Though she is most often associated with songs recorded by R&B artists of the 1950s and 1960s, McCoy wrote many jazz, pop, rock 'n' roll, country, and gospel songs. Jazz vocalist

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

recorded nine of her tunes, and Sarah Vaughan recorded six of her songs, five of them on the singer's 1974 album '' Send in the Clowns.'' McCoy also composed jingles, including one sung by

and

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 ...

for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

. The biography, ''Thought We Were Writing the Blues: But They Called It Rock 'n' Roll,'' on the life and career of McCoy was written by Arlene Corsano and published in 2014.

Personal life

In 1943, McCoy married James McCoy, a supervisor at the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles ...

. He died in 2000. For more than 50 years, McCoy was a resident of

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%) fr ...

, until she relocated to live with her niece Helen Brown, in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

Death

McCoy died at the age of 92 at Carle Foundation Hospital in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the 38th-most populous municipality in Illinois. It ...

, on January 20, 2015.

Honors

McCoy was honored by Community Works NYC in their 2008 exhibition and concert series "Ladies Singing the Blues". McCoy received a five-minute standing ovation during the award ceremony at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City for her contribution to music. To the delight of the audience, "It's gonna work out fine" was played as she was escorted to the stage. In 2017, McCoy was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.

Discography

Singles

* 1951: "Cheating Blues" / "Georgie Boy" (Wheeler 102) * 1954: "Dippin' In My Business / Down Here" (

Cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

111) * 1977: "I Do The Best I Can With What I Got" ( Brunswick 55541) * 2013: "Switch Around" (with Wallie Hoskins) (Beltone ST1005) – previously unreleased

References

Sources

* Broadcast Music, Inc. * Broven, John, "The Story of Rose Marie McCoy", '' Juke Blues'', Issue 26, Summer 1992, pp. 8–15. * Freeland, David, "Rose Marie McCoy," ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwr ...

'', Vol. 21, No. 3, March/April 2006, pp. 65–67. * Rose Marie McCoy papers. * Rosenbaum, Dan, "Songwriting Sistas", ''Music Alive'', Vol. 26, No. 5, Feb. 2007, pp. 2–3.

External links

Official site

"Lady Writes The Blues: The Life Of Rose McCoy"
audio and text at NPR.org.
Rose McCoy at Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Rose Marie 1922 births 2015 deaths African-American songwriters American women singer-songwriters American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American jazz songwriters American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters People from Phillips County, Arkansas People from Teaneck, New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Singer-songwriters from Arkansas Country musicians from Arkansas Country musicians from New Jersey Brunswick Records artists African-American women musicians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women