Phoebe Snow, blues singer, guitarist and songwriter, has died at 58

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NEW YORK — Phoebe Snow, a bluesy singer, guitarist and songwriter whose "Poetry Man" was a defining hit of the 1970s but who then largely dropped out of the spotlight to care for her disabled daughter, has died.

Snow, who was nominated for best new artist at the 1975 Grammys, died Tuesday morning in Edison, N.J., from complications of a brain hemorrhage she suffered in January 2010, said Rick Miramontez, her longtime friend and public relations representative. She was 58.

Snow's manager, Sue Cameron, said the singer endured bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure since her stroke. "The loss of this unique and untouchable voice is incalculable," Cameron said. "Phoebe was one of the brightest, funniest and most talented singer-songwriters of all time and, more importantly, a magnificent mother to her late brain-damaged daughter, Valerie, for 31 years. Phoebe felt that was her greatest accomplishment."

Known as a folk guitarist who made forays into jazz and blues, Snow put her stamp on soul classics such as "Shakey Ground," "Love Makes a Woman" and "Mercy, Mercy Mercy" on over a half dozen albums. Not long after Snow's "Poetry Man" reached the Top 5 on the pop singles chart in 1975, her daughter, Valerie Rose, was born with severe brain damage, and Snow decided to care for her at home rather than place her in an institution.

"She was the only thing that was holding me together," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008. "My life was her, completely about her, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed at night."
Valerie, who had been born with hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain cavity that inhibits brain development, was not expected to live more than a few years. She died in 2007 at age 31.

She was born Phoebe Ann Laub to white Jewish parents in New York City in 1952, and raised in Teaneck, N.J. Though many assumed she was black, Snow never claimed African-American ancestry. She changed her name after seeing Phoebe Snow, an advertising character for a railroad, emblazoned on trains that passed through her hometown. Snow quit college after two years to perform in amateur nights at Greenwich Village folk clubs.

Her first record, "Phoebe Snow," came out in 1974, and showed off her songwriting chops on a selection of tunes that spanned blues, jazz and folk. Hit-bound "Poetry Man" took the record to No. 4 on the album charts, but her success was uneasy.

Read full article at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42763432
 
Ah, darn. RIP Pheobe-- I've been a fan since 1974. :heartbeat:

This song comes to mind for me...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SESmndcKI0[/ame]
 
Wow, I'd never seen this arrangement-- Linda Rondstadt with Phoebe on SNL singing another one of my favorites byThe Roche Sisters!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov3OCrNiZ_4&feature=related[/ame]


(and no, she isn't going to you know where.... :) )
 
And then there's [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDk_lroqZkY&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDk_lroqZkY&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

and this

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OxTVxGhHFM&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OxTVxGhHFM&feature=player_embedded[/ame]


She's the same age I am, and I've been fascinated by her voice and her music for as long as I can remember. I've always wished she would write, sing, record more music for us to enjoy. Sadly, that will not happen now.
 
Here's three snipped right from Poetry Man... shoot, she was much too young. :(

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxap04Y82ko&feature=related[/ame]
 
Boy, the Linda Ronstadt duets are great! Looks like they really had a lot of fun...
 
Oh no! So sorry she has died. I always loved "Poetry Man".

RIP.
 
One of my favorite songs is a Wizard of Oz medley she did... her voice was so beautiful. What a sad day to know that such a gem has been lost. RIP Phoebe...
 
Just noticed this while reviewing some of her lyrics:


From her 1975 hit 'Poetry Man':

So once again
It's time to say so long
And so recall the cull of life
You're going home now.
 
PHOEBE SNOW WAS WHITE AND JEWISH???

Sorry. Surprised me. I always assumed she was black, too. I guess just from her voice. Nothing I ever really thought about.

58 is young. That is so sad.
 
Such a loss. I am so sad to hear this.


One of my faves is "Two Fisted Love"



".....Oh it's crisis time. Stuck in the suburbs. Dying on the vine....."



RIP Miss Snow
 
What a voice!

How sad...bless you, Phoebe Snow.
 
What? No!

I didn't even know she'd had a stroke. Beautiful voice.
 
Oh, nooooooo... Aw, man, this breaks my heart. I spent more than a few lonely nights back in the day with Phoebe and a bottle of wine.

RIP, Phoebe.
 
I missed this news until just now...

Too sad for words.

R.I.P.
 
Thanks for the links above to all who posted them.

A few weeks ago, I watched a movie on tv (can't even remember its title now) and was impressed by a background song sung by a familiar voice in a style that touched me like an old friend. I imdb'd it to find-out who it was, and yep, it was Phoebe's voice. "Figures!", I said to myself.

For many years, I was aware of her ethnic origin and then her dedication to her daughter, but I missed the recent news about her medical problems. Her death comes as a huge shock, only 58 years old after all. :-(

There are some singers who have a unique vocal quality, such as the crying tone of Orbison's voice (Ronstadt can do that too). Phoebe's voice ranked at the top of the list, for me. When asked to describe it wayback, I said: Imagine the sound of a stainless steel pot lid falling on a kitchen floor as it spins to quiet. THAT was the sound that so fascinated me in Phoebe's voice, in Poetry Man for starters.

Thank you, Phoebe, for all the wonderful music over the years. I salute you most for how you cared for your only child, and sacrificed plenty to do it.
 
It must be Sunday...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znmnptjMfMQ&feature=related[/ame]
 
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf5O3ETtPLg[/ame]


Nice tribute by someone who knew her.

Funny, I never thought of her as possibly being African American. But then I grew up in a city with a large Jewish community.

I'm going to share this with my kids, I know at least one that will like her music. Also to point out a characteristic that they are now becoming very aware of as teens and having had lived in numerous places around the world that within all races there is a spectrum of physical characteristics that can be seen. The multitude of almost infinite phenotypes within the human race.

Loved her and she was part of the music landscape of my youth. You will be missed.
 
Oh, nooooooo... Aw, man, this breaks my heart. I spent more than a few lonely nights back in the day with Phoebe and a bottle of wine.

RIP, Phoebe.

Hell me too..Still have her albums. I almost missed her death due to all the other hoopla going on...to me she is more important than all the other ******. A wonderful talented caring lady... she leaves behind songs from her heart that shall live on. Loved the duos with Linda Ronstadt. Thanks to you all for this.
 

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