Sheila Andrews
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sheila Marlene Andrews (April 10, 1953 – December 26, 1984) was an American
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 ...
singer. Signed to the
Ovation The ovation ( from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a lesser form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, pira ...
label, she recorded three studio albums in her career and released several singles on the ''
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 ...
''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
including "It Don't Get Better Than This", her highest charting single.


Biography

Sheila Marlene Alldredge was born in
Athens, Alabama Athens is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, in the U.S. state of Alabama; it is included in the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 25,406. Hist ...
, in 1953 to James and Willie Alldredge. She had two brothers named Frank and Michael. Andrews' father traveled to Ohio from Alabama to work in rubber plants and was a truck driver when he worked in Alabama. Eventually the family moved to
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 ...
, permanently. When Andrews was 16 she got married. The couple had four children and later divorced. While living in Ohio, Andrews got a job selling carpeting over the phone for CarpetTown. She began singing in a nightclub when she was 23. Her second husband "discovered" her and urged her to move to Nashville and meet producer Brien Fisher of
Ovation Records Ovation Records was an American independent record label based in Glenview, Illinois. The label was founded in 1969 by Dick Schory, who had been on RCA Records with his Percussion Pops Orchestra and had helped create the Dynagroove process used ...
and begin a recording career.


Career

Andrews sang in a soulful type voice; she told the
Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...
after moving to Nashville, "When I first came down here from Akron and met different people who listened to my tape they all said, 'You sound so different'. Later on they said it was good, but at the time it made me feel really bad". One of the reasons for Andrews' unique voice was a result of surgery that removed a tumor from her thyroid. Andrews revealed that after the surgery, "They didn't tell me I wasn't supposed to sing or talk loud for a year. I started singing after the operation and it lowered on me. It used to be three or four octaves higher. Now when I talk everyone thinks I have a cold." Andrews also said during another interview, that after the surgery, "I started singing in a nightclub shortly after the operation and that's when my voice began to lower and lower on me. I should have been furious with that careless doctor but how can I when he is a lot responsible for the upturn of my career!"


1978 ''Love Me Like a Woman''

In 1978, Andrews signed with the Ovation Records label. The same year Andrews released her debut album, ''Love Me Like a Woman'', under Fisher's production. The album's first single was the Layng Martine, Jr. penned "Too Fast for Rapid City" which reached No. 88 on the ''
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 ...
'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Its follow-up and title track "Love Me like a Woman" failed to chart. The album's third and final single "I Gotta Get Back the Feeling" also peaked at No. 88. In a review printed in
The Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newspap ...
, the author gave the album a mixed review by writing, "Andrews demonstrates a lot of potential on this album, but she has to quit being so self-conscious of her husky, wispy, voice and allow it to express more natural feelings."


1979–1981: ''What I Had With You'' and ''Lovesick''

Between Andrews' first two albums, Ovation released " What I Had With You" as a single with fellow label mate
Joe Sun James Joseph Paulsen (September 25, 1943 – October 25, 2019), known professionally as Joe Sun, was an American country music singer-songwriter. Recording for the Ovation and Elektra Records labels, Sun charted fourteen singles on the Hot Cou ...
. "What I Had With You" was more successful on the ''Billboard'' charts than her first three singles, reaching a peak of No. 48 on the Country Singles chart. The song would later go on to be a top twenty hit when
John Conlee John Wayne Conlee (born August 11, 1946) is an American country music singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of 32 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, and recorded 11 studio albums. His singles include seven ...
recorded the song two years later. In 1979, Ovation released a sampler LP album featuring artists on the label including Andrews. The same year, Andrews signed with
Jim Halsey Jim Halsey is an American artist manager, agent and impresario. He and his staff have guided, promoted or managed the careers of numerous prominent U.S. entertainers - particularly country music stars - including 29 inductees of the Country Musi ...
's Thunderbird Artists booking agency. Later in the year Andrews appeared on the German TV series Rock Pop and performed "Diggin' and a Grindin' for His Love" which she had recorded on her debut album. Andrews also appeared on
Pop! Goes the Country ''Pop! Goes the Country'' is a weekly half-hour syndicated variety country music television series that originally aired from September 7, 1974 through 1982 for a total of 234 episodes. Originally hosted by Ralph Emery, the series was recorded at ...
during the 1980–1981 season. She sang "A Little Thing Like Love" and also sang a medley of "
Blueberry Hill "Blueberry Hill" is a popular American song published in 1940 and first recorded and released by Sammy Kaye in 1940 on RCA Victor. It is best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino. Glenn Miller peaked at no. 2 on the ' ...
" and "
Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...
" with host
Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "The Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 number-one hit songs, with 26 more ...
. On September 22, 1980, Andrews released her second album, ''Lovesick''.
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 ...
gave the album a positive review and wrote, "Snappy production enhances the glittering array of love ballads." The album's first single "It Don't Get Better Than This" would go on to be the highest charting single of her career when it reached a peak of 42. Billboard listed "It Don't Get Better Than This" as a Top Single Pick. The album's second single, "Where Could You Take Me," debuted at number 80 in the November 29th issue of
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 ...
, but would only peak at number 58. In May 1981 Andrews appeared on That Nashville Music which also featured
Vern Gosdin Vernon Gosdin (August 5, 1934 – April 28, 2009) aka Country music's "The Voice", was an American country music singing, singer. He had 19 top-10 solo hits on the country music charts from 1977 through 1990. Three of these hits went to Number O ...
who had just joined Ovation Records. Andrews' final single, "Maybe I Should Have Been Listening", failed to chart, but would later become a top forty hit for
Gene Watson Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943) is an American country music singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit " Love in the Hot Afternoon", his 1981 number-one hit " Fourteen Carat Mind", and his signature 1979 song " Farewell Party". Wats ...
. In 1981 Ovation went out of business leaving Andrews without a recording contract.


1982: ''Crystal Tears''

In 1982, Andrews signed with the small label Brylen where she made one album, ''Crystal Tears'', but no singles were released from it.


Personal life

In November 1981, Andrews' furnace blew up at her house, which injured her. The explosion burned her eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. Following the accident Andrews said "I look like a lobster". Andrews died from a heart attack on December 26, 1984, 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 ...
, at the age of 31.


Discography


Studio albums


Singles


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Sheila 1953 births 1984 deaths People from Athens, Alabama American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Alabama Brylen Records artists Ovation Records artists 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Alabama