Jeanie Tracy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeanie Tracy
Tracy performing at Southern Decadence in New Orleans, 2007.
Background information
Also known as	Jeanie Tracy-Smith, Silhouette, Technodiva
Born	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	house · R&B · disco · soul · Hi-NRG · gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Mamahouse Records, Carrillo Music, AM Records, TommyBoy, Megatone
Associated acts	Sylvester, Altar, Rosabel, The Weather Girls

Jeanie Tracy is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and music producer. She became well-known in the late 1970s. At that time, she was a background singer for Sylvester, a famous disco artist.

Her first album, Me and You, came out in 1982. It included popular songs like "I'm Your Jeanie" and "Sing Your Own Song". In 1983, her R&B and Funk song "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" was also a big hit.

From late 1984 to early 1985, Jeanie Tracy appeared on the TV show Star Search. She won the Female Vocalist category for six weeks in a row! In 1995, she released her second album, It's My Time.

In 2012, Jeanie Tracy played the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in a play called Mahalia: A Gospel Singer. She also released a collection of songs called Making New Friends in 2015.

Throughout her career, Jeanie Tracy has had four number-one dance songs. These include "The Power" (2001), "Cha Cha Heels" (2004), "Party People" (2006), and "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016).

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jeanie Autre Tracy was born in Houston, Texas. She grew up in Fresno, California. From a young age, Jeanie sang in her church choir. It was at the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ.

During her high school years, she studied opera and learned to play the classical piano. In 1970, she played the main role in a play called Slave Driver. This play was written by Oscar Brown Jr.

Music Career Highlights

Early Singing and Sylvester

In 1975, Jeanie Tracy released her first song, "Making New Friends". In 1976, she sang on Richard "Dimples" Fields' album Ready For Anything. In 1979, Tracy moved to San Francisco, California. There, she met Harvey Fuqua, who managed the disco singer Sylvester.

Soon after meeting Sylvester, they became friends. Jeanie started singing background vocals for him. She joined his other background singers, Two Tons o' Fun (Martha Wash and Izora Armstead). In March 1979, she sang on Sylvester's live album Living Proof. This album was recorded at the War Memorial Opera House. That same year, Tracy also sang for the movie soundtrack of Apocalypse Now.

In 1980, Tracy sang background vocals for Two Tons o Fun on their first two albums. These were Two Tons of Fun and Backatcha. In 1981, Sylvester released his last album, Too Hot to Step. This album featured two duet songs with Jeanie Tracy. The songs were "Here Is My Love" and "Give It Up". Both songs reached number 20 on Billboard's Disco chart. In the same year, she was a featured singer on the song "You're Gonna Lose Me". This was for jazz musician Freddie Hubbard's album Splash.

First Album: Me and You

In 1982, Jeanie Tracy released her first album, Me and You. It was released on Fantasy Records. The first song from the album was "Your Old Standby". This was a cover of a 1963 hit by Mary Wells. The second song, "I'm Your Jeanie", later inspired Sylvester's song "Do You Wanna Funk". The third song was the album's title track, "Me and You".

In the same year, she released two more songs: "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" and "Hot (For Your Love)". In 1984, she signed with Megatone Records. She released "Sing Your Own Song" and "Time Bomb". Both songs reached number 33 on Billboard's Dance chart. As mentioned, she won the Female Vocalist category on Star Search for six weeks in 1984-1985. In 1985, she released her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way". This song reached number 22 on the Dance chart. That year, Tracy also became friends with Narada Michael Walden. She sang background vocals on his album The Nature of Things.

In 1987, Jeanie Tracy took a break from her music career. She wanted to care for her friend Sylvester, who was ill. In 1988, she appeared with Sylvester in the Castro's Gay Freedom Parade. After Sylvester passed away, Tracy sang his favorite song, "Never Grow Old," at his funeral. In the same year, Tracy released a song called "Let's Dance".

Moving to House Music

In 1990, Jeanie Tracy started making house music and techno music. Between 1990 and 1991, she released two songs as "Technodiva". These were "I Found Love" and "Picture This". She also released "Funkin' With Yo Emotion" and "Party Up (Feel The Funky Beat)". After these, she stopped using the Technodiva name.

In 1994, Tracy signed with Pulse-8 Records in the UK. In August 1994, she released "If This Is Love". This was the first song from her upcoming album. She then released "Do You Believe In The Wonder" in November 1994. In March 1995, she released "It's My Time". In June 1995, Jeanie Tracy released her second album, It's My Time.

The album's fourth song was "It's A Man's Man's Man's World". This was a cover of a James Brown hit. It featured a collaboration with singer Bobby Womack. The song reached number 73 on the UK Singles chart. "Crying In My Sleep" was the last song released from the album in 1995. In 1997, she released a song called "Happiness". In 1998, she worked again with the producers of "It's My Time" for a song called "Answer My Prayer". That same year, Tracy became a regular cast member. She voiced the character Bantu in the children's TV series Adventures with Kanga Roddy.

Collaborations and Number-One Hits

In 1999, Tracy released "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". This song was remixed by Rosabel and released on AM Records. It reached number 20 on Billboards Dance chart. In March 2000, Tracy released another song produced by Rosabel, "Keep The Party Jumpin". This song reached number 5 on Billboards Dance chart.

In 2001, Jeanie Tracy worked with the house music duo Rosabel again. They released "The Power". This song became Tracy's first number-one hit on Billboards Dance chart. In June 2004, they released "Cha Cha Heels". This song also reached number one on Billboards Dance chart.

In March 2006, Tracy released "Party People". This was a collaboration with the house music duo Altar. It was released on MamaHouse Records. This song became Tracy's third number-one song on Billboard's Dance chart. In 2007, Tracy and singer Vicki Shepard released "I Got a Feeling 2007". This was a new version of an earlier song. It reached number 15 on Billboards Dance chart. That same year, she appeared in a BBC TV show called "The Queens of Disco". In February 2008, she released another song with Altar called "Everybody Up". This song reached number 7 on Billboards Dance chart. In November 2008, Tracy performed at the Winds of Change event. This was part of the Pride Festival in Palm Springs, California. In May 2009, she performed at the Let the Sunshine in benefit concert.

In 2010, she appeared on TV One's Unsung show about Sylvester. In February 2010, Jeanie Tracy took over the role of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the play Mahalia: A Gospel Singer. Tracy also appeared in the Unsung TV show about her friend Angela Bofill in 2012. In the same year, she was in the BBC TV show "The Joy of Disco".

On April 20, 2015, Tracy released a collection of songs called Making New Friends. It included four past songs: "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight", "Hot (For Your Love)", "Making New Friends", and "Trippin' on the Sounds".

Recent Music Projects

In May 2018, she released a song called "Is This My Last Stop for Love".

Legacy and Achievements

In 2012, Jeanie Tracy was honored. She was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. In the same year, she also received the Just Circuit Award Hall of Fame Artist Award.

Famous singers Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle have both recorded with Tracy. They have called Tracy "One of the Top Ten Voices in the World". As of 2016, Tracy has had a total of four number-one dance singles.

Personal Life

Jeanie Tracy is married to William Smith. She is a Christian and a member of Acts Full Gospel Church of God in Christ in Oakland, California. She also speaks French fluently.

Music Albums

• Me and You (1982)
• It's My Time (1995)

Popular Singles

Here are some of Jeanie Tracy's most popular singles, including her number-one dance hits:

• "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" (1983) - Reached number 15 on the US Dance chart.
• "Hot (For Your Love)" (1983) - Reached number 45 on the US Dance chart.
• "Sing Your Own Song" (1984) - Reached number 33 on the US Dance chart.
• "Time Bomb" (1984) - Reached number 33 on the US Dance chart.
• "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1985) - Reached number 22 on the US Dance chart.
• "Do You Believe In The Wonder" (1994) - Reached number 57 on the UK Singles chart.
• "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" (1995) - With Bobby Womack, reached number 73 on the UK Singles chart.
• "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (1999) - Reached number 20 on the US Dance chart.
• "Keep The Party Jumpin" (2000) - Reached number 5 on the US Dance chart.
• "The Power" (2001) - Featuring Rosabel, this was a number-one hit on the US Dance chart!
• "Cha Cha Heels" (2004) - Featuring Rosabel, this was another number-one hit on the US Dance chart!
• "Party People" (2006) - Featuring Altar, this was her third number-one hit on the US Dance chart!
• "Everybody Up" (2008) - Featuring Altar, reached number 7 on the US Dance chart.
• "Turn It Up" (2009) - Featuring Altar, reached number 7 on the US Dance chart.
• "Stand Strong" (2014) - Featuring Rosabel, reached number 5 on the US Dance chart.
• "Livin' For Your Love (Your Love)" (2016) - Featuring Rosabel, this was her fourth number-one hit on the US Dance chart!

Songs as a Featured Singer

Jeanie Tracy has also been featured on songs by other artists:

• "Here Is My Love" (1982) - With Sylvester, reached number 20 on the US R&B chart.
• "Give It Up (Don't Make Me Wait)" (1982) - With Sylvester, reached number 20 on the US R&B chart.
• "Put Some Funk In Your Shoes" (2007) - With In Between and Larry Batiste, reached number 20 on the US Dance chart.
• "I Got a Feeling" (2007) - With Vicki Shepard, reached number 15 on the US Dance chart.
• "Fabulous" (2016) - With Dirty Disco, reached number 13 on the US Dance chart.