Sharon Redd (October 19, 1945 – May 1, 1992)^[2][3] was an American singer fromNew York City. She was the half sister ofSnap! singerPenny Ford.^[4]

Sharon Redd
Redd in 1988
Background information
Born	(1945-10-19)October 19, 1945 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Died	May 1, 1992(1992-05-01) (aged 46)
Genres	R&B house post-disco[1]
Occupations	Singer actress
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1967–1992
Labels	United Artists Prelude

Redd was born on October 19, 1945, inNorfolk, Virginia, toGene and Katherine Redd. Gene Redd was a producer and musical director atKing Records, and her stepfather performed withBenny Goodman's orchestra.^[1] Her brother Gene Redd Jr. was asongwriter andproducer forKool & the Gang and the band BMP.^[5] Her half-sisterPenny Ford is also a singer with two solo albums to her credit and known for her work as the main singer forSnap!,Soul II Soul, andthe S.O.S. Band.^[2]

She began her recording career with four singles in 1968 for theUnited Artists label, three written and all four produced by songwriter and record producerBobby Susser. Susser chose theHank Williams song "Half as Much" to be Redd's first single. Redd's vocals, against Susser's heavy-bass track, made her presence very quickly known to R&B radio stations.^[6] Redd, as a budding actress, got a major break when she starred in anAustralian production of therock musicalHair.^[1] She was among a troupe of youngAfrican American imports to theSydney production, a group which notably includedMarcia Hines. Redd appeared in the production from its June 6, 1969, premiere through 1971.^{[citation needed]}

As Redd was becoming famous in Australia, she was interviewed by Barry Sloane on a 1971 episode ofGTK.^{[citation needed]} Her popular adverts forAmoco led to her own television special. Redd andHair co-star Teddy Williams were asked to leave Australia by the Immigration Department in April 1971 for reasons they believed were race-motivated.^[7][8] Aside fromHair, Redd also appeared inTi-Jean and His Brothers and, in 1974, traveled to London to star in an American production ofThe Wedding of Iphigenia.^[1] In 1977 Redd played the role of Sherrye in the U.S.sitcom television seriesRhoda.^[9][10] 1978 also saw Redd feature as a guest in the musicalSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.^[11]

In the mid-1970s,Bette Midler was looking to replace Merle Miller and Gail Kantor, both of whom had left after Midler's 1973tour to pursue their own interests. Midler auditioned over 70 performers, but Redd landed the job, becoming one of Bette'sHarlettes.^[12] Aside from performing as a Harlette, Redd also providedbacking vocals forCarol Douglas ("Burnin'" and "Night Fever") andNorman Connors ("You Are My Starship").^[1] Having ended their association with Midler, Redd, Charlotte Crossley, & Ula Hedwig released an LP,Formerly of the Harlettes, in late 1977. In 1978, RCA Victor released "Love Insurance" on a 12-inch disco as Front Page with Sharon Redd. She was credited on that version.

In 1979, Redd recorded the disco hit "Love Insurance", released by Panorama Records under the name Front Page, her own vocals going uncredited. But she soon signed arecording contract withPrelude Records,^[1] and Redd became the label's most successful artist. Her debut studio album, 1980's self-titledSharon Redd, was closely followed by two more:Redd Hott (1982) andLove How You Feel (1983).^[1] Redd had several charting songs on theBillboardHot Dance Club Play chart, including "Beat the Street", "In the Name of Love" and "Love How You Feel".^[13]

After these releases, Redd returned to her successful career as a backing vocalist, most notably with the group Soirée, which also included among its membersLuther Vandross andJocelyn Brown.

In early 1992, she had a UK top 20 hit with a re-recorded version of "Can You Handle It", with "Tom's Diner" remixersDNA and appeared with the duo, singing live vocals, on BBC One'sTop of the Pops on January 30.^[14] Following the success of this new version of "Can You Handle It", she recorded a single entitled "All the Way to Love",^[2] withL.A. Mix's Les Adams. This was to be her last solo recording and remains unreleased.

In the midst of mounting a comeback in the early 1990s, Redd died ofpneumonia on May 1, 1992.Dance Music Report magazine reported that her death wasAIDS-related.^[15] The virus had weakened her immune system, which had become ineffective following the singer stepping on broken glass on stage.

In 1993, Redd's vocals featured on the duet track "Under Pressure", as found on her half-sister Penny Ford's self-titled album.

Despite not being as recognized as other stars, Redd was able to establish herself as a Diva on thedisco scene in the late 70s and early 80s.^[16]Redd was honored by theNational AIDS Memorial, in an online exhibit to commemorate Black History Month along with other celebrities likeSylvester andArthur Ashe.^[17] In 2011, Redd was posthumously honored at the 2011 Divas Simply Singing music benefit. Her name was among the number of celebrities featured on a special made red quilt displayed during the event.

• The Classic Redd (Prelude, 1985)
• Beat the Street: The Best of Sharon Redd (Unidisc, 1989)
• The Complete Sharon Redd on Prelude 1980–1985 (Karamel, 1990)
• Essential Dancefloor Artists Vol. 3: Sharon Redd (Deepbeats, 1994)^[3]

‡ Denotes tracks fromUS Dance-charting LPRedd Hot which included all cuts.^[13]

• List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart

• AllMusic
• Sharon Redd discography atDiscogs 
• Soulwalking.co.uk
• Max Merritt And The Meteors - Memphis Special (1971) onYouTube