She directly influenced singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Todd Rundgren, Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Elton John, and Rickie Lee Jones. Nyro’s style was a distinctive hybrid of Brill Building-style New York pop, mixed with elements of jazz, folk, rhythm and blues, and rock. Her lyrics were sophisticated, first as a reflection of youth angst in her initial period (1966-1971), with later works concentrating on animal-rights issues, motherhood, and a growing concern for the human condition. She possessed a voice which could register tenderness, rage, and playfulness with equal ability and had an instinctive sense of song arrangement and vocal arrangement skills. This revealed itself not only in her own material, but in her recordings of, as she called them, “the teenage heartbeat songs of my youth”, and the occasional pop standard. These songs were interpreted by Nyro with her distinctive chord changes and vocal arrangements (she generally multi-tracked her own harmonies in the studio and later added live harmony singers in concert). Born in the Bronx, New York, of Italian-American and Jewish-American parents, Nyro was best known by the general public – and had the most commercial success – as a songwriter rather than a performer. Her best-known songs include “And When I Die” (made a hit by Blood, Sweat & Tears), “Stoney End” (covered by Barbra Streisand), “Wedding Bell Blues”, “Stoned Soul Picnic”, “Sweet Blindness”, “Save the Country” (all covered by The 5th Dimension), and “Eli’s Coming” (a hit for Three Dog Night). Ironically, Nyro’s own best-selling single was Up on the Roof, a cover of the Carole King-Gerry Goffin hit originally recorded by The Drifters in 1962. Nyro’s eighth album, Nested has been scheduled for re-release on Aug 12, 2008 by Iconoclassic Records. The CD version of the album was mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Vic Anesini, the original album artwork was faithfully recreated, and an essay by biographer Michele Kort will accompany its release. The complete version of Season of Lights is also slated for re-release on CD later in 2008. In Dec 2009, Ms Nyro was among the 12 nominees named for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation 2010 Induction. Of Ms Nyro, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had written: Singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro (1947-1997) was still a teenager in 1966 when she recorded her debut album, and Peter Paul and Mary cut “And When I Die”. She was a true original - composing intricate, haunting songs which found a vast audience when recorded by other artists. Indeed, others scored hit after hit with her songs, led by The 5th Dimension’s “Stoned Soul Picnic” and “Sweet Blindness” in 1968 (then “Wedding Bell Blues” in ’69 and “Blowin’ Away” in ’70). Over two consecutive weeks in October 1969, Blood, Sweat & Tears entered the Hot 100 with “And When I Die”, and Three Dog Night followed with “Eli’s Coming”. Elton John acclaimed her influence to Elvis Costello: “The soul, the passion, the out-and-out audacity of her rhythmic and melody changes was like nothing I’d ever heard before.” - source: http://www.rockhall.com/induction2010/ This wiki is still in development. For further reading, you can visit the following sites:|1. The Authorized Laura Nyro Web Site - www.lauranyro.com|2. American National Biography Online > Nyro, Laura|3. Wikipedia > Laura Nyro |
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