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Minnie Riperton was born November 8, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, to Thelma Inez (Matthews) and Daniel Webster Riperton, a Pullman porter. At a young age, the youngest of eight children, Riperton began taking dancing and ballet. Once she reached high school, she began singing in the Hyde Park A Capella Choir. From there, she signed her first professional contract (age 16) and began singing with an all-girl group named The Gems on Chess Records. After breaking from The Gems, Riperton made a complete switch; she joined the psychedelic soul group Rotary Connection in 1967 and was installed as the lead singer in 1968. During her time with Rotary Connection, Riperton met songwriter and producer Richard Rudolph. They married in 1969 and had a son, Marc Rudolph. Together, Rudolph and Riperton worked on Riperton's first solo album "Come to My Garden" (1969), which met with minimal success. Riperton rejoined Rotary Connection and worked on their last album "Hey Love" (1971). After finishing work with them, Riperton relocated to Gainesville, Florida, where she gave birth to her daughter Maya Rudolph. Eventually, she moved to Los Angeles, California to become a member of Stevie Wonder's backing group "Wonderlove".
After touring with Wonder, she returned to the studio to work on her second solo album "Perfect Angel" (1974). Because of her work with Stevie Wonder, he agreed to help produce "Perfect Angel", which contained the international pop single "Lovin' You". "Lovin' You", as the story is told, was originally supposed to be a lullaby for her then two-year-old daughter Maya.
The year 1974 proved to be big for Riperton, as her album "Perfect Angel" was certified gold by the RIAA. She returned to the studio to produce "Adventures in Paradise" (1975) and, although it didn't mirror the success of "Perfect Angel", it was popular with R&B audiences. The album contained the song "Inside My Love", which has now become a classic with younger audiences. In 1976, while working on her fourth solo album "Stay In Love: A Romantic Fantasy Set to Music", Riperton found that she was suffering from breast cancer. The following year, President Jimmy Carter presented her with the American Cancer Society's Courage Award, and she later became the chairwoman. In 1978, Riperton signed a new contract with Capitol Records and began work on her last album, titled "Minnie". The album contained the hits "Memory Lane" and "Lover and Friend". Her health continued to decline in 1979, and eventually she lost her battle with cancer and passed away on July 12, 1979. A year after her death, Capitol Records released a posthumous album, "Love Lives Forever", featuring her recorded vocals with various singers such as Peabo Bryson, Michael Jackson, Shanice and Stevie Wonder. Today, Riperton's influence can be heard in the voices of Mariah Carey, Chanté Moore and Ariana Grande. Her son Marc Rudolph is a music engineer. Her daughter Maya Rudolph is a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975).
