(DailyDig.com) – Evelyn Thomas, a singer with a powerful voice in the hi-NRG music scene for dancing, died on July 21. She was 70 years old.
Her contribution to music in the 1980s helped lead to the formation and popularity of disco music. Her internationally hailed 1980s hit “High Energy” credited Thomas with helping to define the hi-NRG music scene.
Thomas’ close friend and longtime producer, Ian Levine, confirmed her death on social media, sharing his difficulty in accepting her death. He struggled to comprehend the loss of his lifelong protégé. He said that her music is timeless and will last longer than any of her friends’ lifetimes. He did not disclose what the cause of her death was.
Levine also said that he and another individual wrote another song specifically for Thomas to perform, titled “Inspirational.” However, her failing health did not allow them the chance to record the song. Levin said that Kimberly, Thomas’ daughter, known as YaYaDiamond, will record it to honor her mother.
Kimberly also paid tribute to her mother by posting on her social media page a montage of photographs set to Thomas’ hit, “High Energy.”
Thomas was born in 1953 in Chicago. When Levin discovered Thomas in 1975, music executives paid attention. Her vocal range stood out as superior to the other singers, and it continued to influence the charts during her entire career.
Levine and Paul David Wilson wrote her first hit, “Weak Spot,” which reached Number 26 in the UK Singles chart in 1976. In 1978, she signed on with Casablanca Records in order to release her first album, “I Wanna Make It On My Own.” Because Casablanca Records failed to market her album, she left them to sign with AVI Records.
Later in 1984, Levine and Thomas again collaborated to create her most popular hit, “High Energy.” The gigantic hit climbed to number one on the chart for Billboard Hot Dance Club Play. It also reached number 85 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 1984.
Details of her funeral have not been released to the public.
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