Minnie (album)

Minnie
Studio album by Minnie Riperton
Released	May 9, 1979
Recorded	A&M Studios Los Angeles
Genre	Soul
Length	35:47
Label	Capitol
Producer	Minnie Riperton, Dick Rudolph, Henry Lewy
Minnie Riperton chronology
Stay in Love (1977) Minnie (1979) Love Lives Forever (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Minnie is the fifth and final studio album (not counting a posthumous release the following year) by Minnie Riperton. She died of cancer two months after its release. It was also her first album for Capitol Records.

With a new record deal under her belt and a guarantee from the label of priority marketing/promotion, Minnie went right to work on what would be her final album. With husband Richard Rudolph, Keni St. Lewis, Gene Dozier, Randy Waldman, Marlo Henderson & Bill Thedford contributing songs, the album served as Minnie’s final statement to the music world and fans.

Minnie brought son, Marc and daughter Maya Rudolph into the studio to sing background on “Dancin’ & Actin’ Crazy,” while the tender “Lover & Friend” was the perfect ode to her relationship with Richard. Minnie was at her most playful self on her remake of the Doors’ “Light My Fire”, a duet with José Feliciano (who had a hit with his own version of this rock classic in 1968). It's been said that the reason we don't hear José until the second half of the song, is because he had just happened to be at the studio when it was being recorded and popped in.

If there was a track that would be described as her “goin’ home” song, no doubt it was “Memory Lane” – Minnie’s reflection of her past while knowing what indeed was in the future. "Memory Lane" was a hit. Riperton incorporated the sadness of the ending of a relationship while suddenly shifting to cries of "I don't want to go" and "save me." It is thought that the song was her farewell to her family and the world.

When not recording, Minnie was busy as the national spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, lobbying the cause for early breast cancer detection. As a result of her efforts, she was presented with the A.C.S. Courage Award at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. While promoting this album, TV appearances kept her busy – the Mike Douglas Show, Merv Griffin, the Tonight Show. Despite her radiant and expressive face, the cameras could not hide how the cancer was ravaging her body. On her famous last appearance on "The Mike Douglas Show", her right arm was in a fixed position from the cancer's progression. At a concert appearance, Minnie appeared rail thin in a long robe and wearing a head wrap to hide her hair loss from chemotherapy.

Track listing

1. "Memory Lane" (Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph, Keni St. Lewis, Gene Dozier) – 4:23
2. "Lover and Friend" (Riperton, Rudolph, Lewis, Dozier) – 4:13
3. "Return to Forever" (Rudolph, Randy Waldman) – 4:07
4. "Dancin' & Actin' Crazy" (Rudolph, Waldman) – 6:03
5. "Love Hurts" (Riperton, Rudolph, Marlo Henderson) – 3:35
6. "Never Existed Before" (Riperton, Rudolph, Bill Thedford) – 4:17
7. "I'm a Woman" (Riperton, Rudolph, Thedford) – 4:00
8. "Light My Fire" (Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore) – 5:09

Charts

Chart (1979)[2]	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums	29
U.S. Billboard Black Albums	5

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ "Minnie > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r48046. Retrieved 2009-02-13.