Jeanie Tracy
Tracy performing at Southern Decadence in New Orleans, 2007.
Background information
Also known as	Jeanie Tracy-Smith, Silhouette,[1] Technodiva[2]
Born	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	house·R&B·disco·soul·Hi-NRG·gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Mamahouse Records,Carrillo Music, AM Records, TommyBoy,Megatone
Website	www.jeanietracy.com

Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer ofSylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album,Me and You (1982), featuredpost-disco hits "I'm Your Jeanie","Sing Your Own Song" and the overlooked 1983 smash R&B and Funk hit,"Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight". From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television ShowStar Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1995, Tracy released her second albumIt's My Time.

In 2012, Tracy portrayed gospel singerMahalia Jackson in the theater productionMahalia: A Gospel Singer. She released an extended playMaking New Friends (2015), which features past singles.

Throughout her career, Tracy has scored four number-onedance singles: "The Power" (2001), "Cha Cha Heels" (2004), "Party People" (2006), and "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016).

Jeanie Autre Tracy was born inHouston, Texas and raised inFresno, California. At a young age, Tracy began singing in her church choir at Pentecostal Church of God in Christ.^[3] During her high school years, she studied opera andclassical piano.^[3] She played the lead in Oscar Brown Jr.'s stage playSlave Driver in 1970.^[3]

In 1975, Tracy released her debut single "Making New Friends" on the Brown Door Records.^[4] In 1976, she contributed vocals toRichard "Dimples" Fields' albumReady For Anything. In 1979, Tracy relocated to San Francisco, California where she was introduced toHarvey Fuqua, the manager for Americandisco singerSylvester. Soon after meeting Sylvester, Tracy became friends with him and began singing backgrounds for him in addition to his then-current background singersTwo Tons o' Fun (Martha Wash andIzora Armstead).^[3] In March 1979, she debuted as his background vocalist on Sylvester's live albumLiving Proof which was performed at theWar Memorial Opera House.^[5] In the same year, Tracy contributed her vocals to the soundtrack ofFrancis Ford Coppola's film,Apocalypse Now.^[3]

In 1980, Tracy sang background vocals onTwo Tons o Fun first-two albumsTwo Tons of Fun andBackatcha. In 1981, Sylvester released his fifth and final albumToo Hot to Step. The album featured two duet songs from Sylvester and Tracy called "Here Is My Love" and "Give It Up", both of which peaked at number 20 onBillboard'sDisco chart. In the same year, she appeared as a featured vocalist on the song "You're Gonna Lose Me" for jazz musicianFreddie Hubbard's albumSplash.^[6]

In 1982, Tracy released her debut albumMe and You onFantasy Records. The album's lead single was "Your Old Standby", a cover ofMary Wells's 1963 hit. The second single "I'm Your Jeanie" would inspire Sylvester's song "Do You Wanna Funk".^[7] The third single was the album's titled-track "Me and You". In the same year, she released two singles "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" and "Hot(For Your Love)". In 1984, she secured a record contract withMegatone Records and released two singles "Sing Your Own Song" and "Time Bomb", which peaked at number thirty-three onBillboard'sDance chart.^[8] From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television ShowStar Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1985, she released her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which peaked at number twenty-two on the Dance chart.^[8] In the same year, Tracy became friends withNarada Michael Walden, whom she sang backgrounds vocals on his albumThe Nature of Things.

In 1987, Tracy took a brief hiatus from the mainstream spotlight to take care of friend Sylvester, who had now been diagnosed with AIDS.^[2] In 1988, she appeared alongside Sylvester in the Castro's 1988 Gay Freedom Parade. Following Sylvester's death, Tracy sang Sylvester's favorite song "Never Grow Old" during his funeral at Love Center Church inEast Oakland. In the same year, Tracy released a single "Let's Dance".

In 1990, Tracy made a transition inhouse music andtechno music. Between 1990 and 1991, she released two singles under the alias Technodiva called: "I Found Love" and "Picture This".^[7] She released two additional singles, "Funkin' With Yo Emotion" and "Party Up (Feel The Funky Beat)", before retiring her Technodiva moniker.^[7]

In 1994, Tracy signed to UK record label Pulse-8 Records. In August 1994, she released "If This Is Love" as the lead single from forthcoming album.^[7] She follow-up with the release of another single "Do You Believe In The Wonder" in November 1994.^[7] In March 1995, she released "It's My Time". In June 1995, Tracy released her second albumIt's My Time. The album's fourth single "It's A Man's Man's Man's World", a cover version of theJames Brown hit, featured a collaboration with singerBobby Womack. The single peaked at number seventy-three on theUK Singles chart.^[9] "Crying In My Sleep" was released as the album's final single in 1995. In 1997, she released a single called "Happiness". In 1998, no longer signed with Pulse-8, she re-united with the "It's My Time" album's team of producers, the Band of Gypsies, for a single entitled "Answer My Prayer". In the same year, Tracy began a regular cast member and voiced the character Bantu in the children seriesAdventures with Kanga Roddy.

In 1999, Tracy released a single "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", remixed byRosabel and released on AM Records. The single peaked at number twenty onBillboards Dance chart.^[8] In March 2000, Tracy released another single produced by Rosabel called "Keep The Party Jumpin" on AM Records.^[10] The single charted at number five onBillboards Dance chart.^[8] In another collaboration withhouse music duoRosabel, Tracy released a single "The Power" in 2001. The single peaked at number one onBillboards Dance chart, spending one week at number one.^[8] In June 2004, they released another single "Cha Cha Heels",^[11] which also peaked at number one onBillboard's Dance chart.^[8]

In March 2006, Tracy released a single titled "Party People", a collaboration with house music duoAltar on MamaHouse Records.^[12] The single became Tracy's third number-one song onBillboards Dance chart.^[8] In 2007, Tracy and American singer Vicki Shepard released a single "I Got a Feeling 2007", a re-recorded version of her earlier single. The single peaked at number fifteen onBillboards Dance chart.^[8] In the same year, she appeared in the BBC television documentary "The Queens of Disco". In February 2008, she released another collaborative single with Altar called "Everybody Up".^[13] The song peaked at number seven onBillboard's Dance chart.^[8] In November 2008, Tracy performed at Winds of Change event during Pride Festival inPalm Springs, California. In May 2009, she performed at the Let the Sunshine in benefit concert.

In 2010, she appeared onTV One'sUnsung program about Sylvester. In February 2010, Tracy replacedJennifer Holliday and portrayed gospel singerMahalia Jackson in the theatre playMahalia: A Gospel Singer. Tracy also appeared in the Unsung television documentary about her friendAngela Bofill in 2012. In the same year, she appeared in the BBC television documentary "The Joy of Disco".

On April 20, 2015, Tracy released an extended playMaking New Friends.^[14] The extended play consisted of four past singles: "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight", "Hot (For Your Love)", "Making New Friends", and "Trippin' on the Sounds".

In May 2018, she released a single "Is This My Last Stop for Love".^[15]

In 2012, Tracy was inducted into the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.^[16] In the same year, she was also inducted into the Just Circuit Award Hall of Fame Artist Award.^[1]Aretha Franklin andPatti LaBelle, both of whom have recorded with Tracy, have considered Tracy to be "One of the Top Ten Voices in the World".^[2][7] As of 2016, Tracy has collectively accumulated a total of four number-onedance singles.^[8]

She is married to her husband William Smith.^[17] As a devout Christian, she is a member of Acts Full GospelChurch of God in Christ inOakland, California.^[17] She is also fluent in the French language.

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

As a main performer

As a featured performer

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

• Official website
• Jeanie Tracy atAllMusic
• Jeanie Tracy discography atDiscogs
• Jeanie Tracy atIMDb
• Jeanie Tracy Facebook page

• 1960 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American businesswomen
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• 20th-century American women singers
• 20th-century American singer-songwriters
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