Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1941 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice", she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul stylists of the rock era. Yuro possessed a

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

vocal range. According to one critic, "her deep, strident, almost masculine voice, staggered delivery and the occasional sob created a compelling musical presence".Bob Dickinson, ''Timi Yuro: Feisty white singer with a black soul voice'', The Guardian, 10 April 2004
Retrieved February 4, 2013

Early years

Yuro was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, on August 4, 1941, into an Italian-American family whose original name may have been Aurro. By the time of her birth, however, the family used the spelling Yuro. In 1952, young Rosemary moved with her family to Los Angeles,Biography by Jason Ankeny at Allmusic.com
Retrieved February 4, 2013 where she sang in her parents' Italian restaurant and, despite their opposition, in local

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s before catching the eye and ear of talent scout Sonny Knight.

Career

Signed to Liberty Records in 1959, she had a U.S. ''

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 ...

'' No. 4 single in 1961 with " Hurt", an R&B ballad that had been an early success for

Roy Hamilton Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought Soul music, soul to Great American Songbook singing. Hamilton's greatest commercia ...

. Yuro's recording was produced by Clyde Otis, who had previously worked with

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), known professionally as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter whose music transcended rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music genres in the 1950s and 1960s, with ...

and

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

. Later that year she recorded as a duo with

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

. She charted some further minor hits including "

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

" (No. 42), opened for

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

on his 1962 tour of Australia, and received a 1962 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of 1961 (losing to Peter Nero). In 1962, Bob Johnston and Otis produced Yuro's single "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You?)", which went to No. 12 on the ''

'' pop chart. On both "Hurt" and "What's a Matter Baby", Yuro showed an emotional but elegant vocal style that owed a debt to Washington and other black jazz singers. Many listeners in the early 1960s thought Yuro was black. Her single "The Love of a Boy" reached No. 44 in 1962. It was arranged and co-written by

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 ...

, but Yuro refused to record his suggested follow-up, " What the World Needs Now Is Love". In the following year, Liberty released ''Make the World Go Away'', an album of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

standards. The singer at her vocal peak, this recording includes the hit

title song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

(later a bigger hit for Eddy Arnold, with whom the song is usually associated), a version of

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

's "Permanently Lonely", and two different blues takes of " I'm Movin' On". Yuro was also known for soulful reworkings of popular American standards, such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", "

", and "I Apologize". She toured Europe in 1963, and appeared on the British TV show ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...

''. However, in the U.S. her image became established as a cabaret performer, rather than as a soul singer. By 1964, Yuro had moved to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

, but her first record for the label, "You Can Have Him", arranged by Jack Nitzsche, only just scraped into the chart and was her last hit. Nevertheless, her album ''The Amazing Timi Yuro'', produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, was an artistic success. According to one critic, "her deep, strident, almost masculine voice, staggered delivery and the occasional sob created a compelling musical presence". Subsequent records were unsuccessful, although a

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 ...

, "Can't Stop Running Away", was later popular on the UK's

Northern soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

circuit. In the 1960s, Yuro made two TV appearances on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' and was a guest on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

'', '' Where the Action Is'', and '' The Lloyd Thaxton Show''. In 1967, she appeared in a black-and-white film in the Philippines as a guest star alongside Filipino comedians Dolphy and Panchito in a comedy titled ''Buhay Marino'' ("''Life of a Sailor''"), a film released by Wag-Wag Productions, Inc. Prior to that, Yuro also appeared as a guest on the '' Student Canteen'' TV program hosted by Leila Benitez of CBN (now

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

) in Aduana, Manila, and afterwards, did a singing concert at the

Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose arena, sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Quezon City#Cubao, Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. ...

(now Smart Araneta Coliseum). At that time, the singer was very popular in the Philippines. She re-signed for Liberty Records in 1968, and recorded in London. By the late 1960s, Yuro had performed in venues from London to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. She appeared at the Kray twins' clubs in London as she was a favorite of Reggie Kray. Leonie Cooper, "'Legend' Director On The Krays' Taste In Music, Casting Duffy And Tom Hardy's Sinatra Secret", ''NME'', 9 September 2015
Retrieved February 17, 2016 In 1965 and 1968, she sang at the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

, Italy's most popular music contest. However, her career lost its early momentum and she quit the music business altogether after her marriage in 1969.

Later career

In 1981, Yuro attempted a comeback in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, performing as a guest of honor on Dutch national television. She re-recorded a version of "Hurt" that reached No. 5 on the Dutch pop charts. She also signed to the Dutch record label Dureco to record a new album, ''All Alone Am I''; it went to No. 1 on the Dutch album charts and was eventually certified as a gold record. With these successes, Yuro moved to the Netherlands and continued with a string of hit singles and albums. After her record sales began to decline there in the mid-1980s, Yuro returned to the United States. Her last recording was the vinyl album ''Today'', which was released in 1982 by Ariola and produced by her old friend and collaborator

. In 1990, the disc was reissued as a CD, remastered and remixed by Yuro herself on her own label Timi and titled ''Timi Yuro Sings Willie Nelson''.

Illness and death

She was diagnosed with throat cancer in the 1990s, and died at the age of 62 in 2004 in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Influence

Yuro's work is admired in the United States as well as the United Kingdom and the

. According to the obituary in the ''Las Vegas Sun'', her hometown paper, Yuro's most famous fan was probably

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, who commanded his own table at the casino where Yuro headlined in the late 1960s. (Presley had a top 10 country hit and top 30 pop hit with his 1976 version of "Hurt".) In April 2004,

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

announced Yuro's death on his official website, describing her as his "favorite singer". (Morrissey also recorded a version of Yuro's " Interlude" with Siouxsie Sioux in 1994.) P. J. Proby knew Yuro from their time in Hollywood, and often mentions it during his performances of "Hurt".

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1945) is an English Rock music, rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe (band), Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest su ...

recorded a version of Yuro's classic "What's a Matter Baby" on her 1988 album '' Bookbinder's Kid''. Yuro was so impressed with the version, she contacted Brooks while she was on a UK tour, and the two kept in contact. Yuro found success on the dance floors of

northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

in the 1970s and 1980s when

DJs championed her tracks, "It'll Never Be Over for Me" and "What's a Matter Baby". The former has remained an important Northern soul track; the latter was covered by The Small Faces as the B-side of their debut single in 1965 and re-released on Kent Records in the 1980s. Yuro's 1962 recording of "Satan Never Sleeps" is the theme song that plays over the opening credits of the 1962 film of the same name. It also plays over the closing credits of Penny Lane's 2019 documentary film '' Hail Satan?''.

Discography

Albums

*'' Hurt!!!!!!!'' (Liberty Records 7208, 1961) *''Soul'' (Liberty Records 7212, 1962) *''Let Me Call You Sweetheart'' (Liberty Records 7234, 1962) *''What's a Matter Baby'' (Liberty Records 7263, 1963) *''The Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records 7286, 1963) *''Make the World Go Away'' (Liberty Records 7319, 1963) *''The Amazing Timi Yuro'' (Mercury Records 60963, 1964) *''Timi Yuro'' (Sunset Records 5107, 1966) *''Something Bad on My Mind'' (Liberty Records 7594, 1968) *''Live at PJ's'' (Liberty Records, 1969) *''The Very Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records LBR 1034) 1980 *''All Alone Am I'' (Dureco Benelux 77.011, 1981) *''I'm Yours'' (Arcade, 1982) *''Today'' (Ariola, 1982)

CD collections

*''Hurt! The Best of Timi Yuro'' (Liberty Records, 1963 /EMI Records, 1992) *''Timi Yuro – 18 Heartbreaking Songs'' (Intermusic, 1993 – RMB 75061) *''Timi Yuro: The Lost Voice of Soul'' (RPM Records, 1993 – RPM-117) *''Timi Yuro: The Voice That Got Away'' (RPM Records, 1996 – RPM-167) *''The Amazing Timi Yuro: The Mercury Years'' (Spectrum Music – Universal International (UK), 2005 – 982-596-5) *''Timi Yuro: The Complete Liberty Singles'' (Real Gone Music, 2012 – RGM-0066) *''Timi Yuro: I'm a Star Now Rarities 1956–1982'' (RPM RECORDS, 2014 – RPM-955) *''Timi Yuro: Hurt!/Live at PJs'' (Liberty Bell, 1986 – LST-7208, Italy, 2 lps on 1 cd) *''Timi Yuro: Something Bad on My Mind/The Unreleased Liberty Collection''(Morello Records, 2015 – MRLLX-50)

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuro, Timi 1941 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American contraltos American people of Italian descent Deaths from cancer in Nevada Deaths from esophageal cancer in the United States Dureco artists Liberty Records artists Mercury Records artists Northern soul musicians Singers from Chicago