Gwen Guthrie

Filed under: 80's, 90's, Dance, R&B — Leave a comment

December 27, 2009

Gwen Guthrie (born on July 14, 1950 in Newark, New Jersey) was an R&B\dance-pop singer from the ’80s.

Raised in Newark, New Jersey, Gwen studied classical music in school and was taught how to play the piano by her father when she was 8 years old. By the early ’70s, she had joined vocal groups such as the Ebonettes and the Matchmakers while working as an elementary school teacher.

In 1974, when a back-up singer who was scheduled to sing on Aretha Franklin’s 1974 song, “I’m in Love” became sick, Gwen took the singer’s place. Soon afterwards, she began moonlighting as a commercial jingle singer (sometimes with her good friend, singer Valerie Simpson).

Gwen developed a songwriting partnership with her boyfriend, musician Haras Frye. She wrote and provided vocals for various albums by artists such as Ben E. King, Sister Sledge, Roberta
Flack, Jackie DeShannon, Kenny Loggins, Angela Bofill, East Coast and Patti Austin.
In 1981, she was featured on late Jamaican reggae singer Peter Tosh’s song, “Nothing But Love” which peaked at #43 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 11 weeks.
In 1982, Gwen released her self-titled debut album on Island Records which peaked at #28 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single, “It Should Have Been You” peaked at #11 on Billboard’s Dance\Disco Top 80 chart, staying on the chart for 16 weeks. The song also peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.
The follow-up singles from the album: “Peek-A-Boo” and “For You (With a Melody Too)” didn’t appear to make any impact on the charts at all.
In 1983, she released her sophomore album, “Portrait” which didn’t make the album charts in the United States, but managed to peak at #42 on the album charts in New Zealand.
The first single from the album, “Peanut Butter” peaked at #83 on Billboard’s Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 3 weeks. The follow-up single, “Hopscotch” didn’t chart at all.
In 1984, Gwen was featured on Dutch music group, the Limit’s single, “Say Yeah” which peaked at #17 on the UK Singles chart and #7 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks.
During that same year, Gwen released the single, “Love in Moderation” which peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (staying on the chart for a week) and #17 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks.In 1985, she released her third studio album, “Just For You” which peaked at #55 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The title song peaked at #53 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
Also in that same year, Gwen released an EP called “Padlock” which peaked at #47 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.

The title song peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (staying on the chart for 2 weeks) and #13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. It also peaked at #12 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #25 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks.
The follow-up single, a remixed version of “Peanut Butter” peaked at #75 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks. The last single from the EP, “Seventh Heaven” peaked at #85 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1986, she released her fourth studio album, “Good to Go Lover” on Polydor Records. The album peaked at #158 on the Billboard 200, #20 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and #42 on the U.K. Albums chart.
The lead single from the album, “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent” became a hit, topping Billboard’s Hot Dance\Disco Club Play chart for 2 weeks (staying on the chart for 13 weeks) and topping Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart for a week, staying on the chart for 19 weeks.

The song also peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the U.K. Singles chart and #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The follow-up single, “Outside in the Rain” peaked at #37 on the U.K. Singles chart (along with the title song) and #51 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 8 weeks.
The last single from the album, a cover version of the Carpenters’ 1970 song, “(They Long to Be) Close To You” peaked at #25 on the U.K. Singles chart and #69 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 9 weeks.
In 1987, Gwen released the compliation album, “Ticket to Ride” on the 4th & Broadway record label. The two singles released from the album, the title song and a cover version of Sly and the Family Stone’s 1971 song, “Family Affair” failed to chart.
During that same year, she was featured on reggae singer Boris Gardiner’s song, “Friends & Lovers” which peaked at #97 on the U.K. Singles chart.
In 1988, she released her third studio album, “Lifeline” on Warner Bros. Records which failed to make the charts at all.
The lead single from the album, “Can’t Love You Tonight” peaked at #79 on the U.K. Singles chart, #44 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart (staying on the chart for 3 weeks), #38 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart and #83 on Billboard’s Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The follow-up single, “Rockin’ Chair” didn’t make the charts at all.
In 1990, Gwen released her last studio album, “Hot Times” on Reprise Records. The first single, “Miss My Love” peaked at #27 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart, staying on the chart for 4 weeks.
The follow-up single from the album, “Sweet Bitter Love” peaked at #74 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 6 weeks. The last single, “Say It Isn’t So” failed to chart at all.
In 1992, Gwen released the singles “Eyes (You Never Really Cared)” and “This Christmas Eve” on the Hot Times Records Inc. label; neither of them made any impact on the charts.
In 1993, a remixed version of “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent” managed to peak at #42 on the U.K. Singles chart.

On February 3, 1999, Gwen died from uterine cancer. She was 48 years old at the time of her death and was interred at Fairmount Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey.

To see a video for “Ain’t Nothin’ Goin’ On But the Rent”, go to: