BIO
Born Mary Frierson in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Stax Records, Wendy Rene was christened by Otis Redding on signing to Stax as a teenager in 1963. Back then, she and brother Johnny Frierson, both singers at the Church of God In Christ, were determined to make it in music. Forming singing quartet The Drapels with two friends, they took the bus to 926 E. McLemore Avenue, auditioned for Stax co-founder Jim Stewart, and won a deal on the spot. “As … READ MORE >
Listen & Buy
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Wendy Rene
After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-1965
LITA 080
Tracing Wendy Rene’s career from her early days as a member of The Drapels to her solo singles on Stax/Volt,-After Laughter features her entire recorded output. Influencing a broad range of artists including Lykke Li, Alicia Keys, and Wu Tang (as sampled on 36 Chambers), this is an exhaustive anthology of one of Stax’s forgotten voices.
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