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{{short description|American singer-songwriter}} |
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{{BLP sources|date=May 2010}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}} |
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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> |
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| background = solo_singer |
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| birth_name = La Forrest Cope |
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| origin = [[Queens]], [[New York City]], U.S. |
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| genre = [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] |
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| occupation = Singer, songwriter |
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| years_active = 1981–1992 |
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| associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Kashif (musician)|Kashif]]|[[Whitney Houston]]|[[Glenn Jones]]|[[Melba Moore]]|[[Lillo Thomas]]|[[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]]|[[Stephanie Mills]]}} |
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'''La Forrest Cope''' |
'''La Forrest 'La La' Cope''' is an American singer and [[songwriter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/la-la-mn0000121972/biography|title=Biography: La La|last=Bultman|first=Scott|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=23 May 2010}}</ref> She is best known for writing the hit song "[[You Give Good Love]]", recorded by [[Whitney Houston]] for her [[Whitney Houston (album)|1985 self-titled debut album]],<ref name="LP">{{cite web|title=La La Forrest Cope on Lyrical Passages|url=http://laforrestcope.com/|accessdate=1 October 2020}}</ref> which went on to sell over 25 million units worldwide. |
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==Biography== |
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She is best known for writing the hit song "[[You Give Good Love]]" recorded by Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut album in 1985 that sold over 15 million units. |
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La La was raised in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of [[Queens]], New York City, United States.<ref name="Soul">{{cite web|title=La La Page |url=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/La%20La.html|website=Soulwalking.co.uk|accessdate=October 27, 2020}}</ref> She took up the piano at the age of five and gave a piano recital at [[Carnegie Hall]] at the age of nine.<ref name="Soul"/> After leaving [[The High School of Music & Art|New York's High School of Music and Art]], she formed a band called Jack Sass, which played top 40 cover versions on the club scene.<ref name="Soul"/> As the group's reputation grew, La La began introducing more of her own songs into the repertoire before she went to [[Juilliard]] to major in composition.<ref name="Soul"/> |
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In 1981, she was invited to tour with [[Stacy Lattisaw]] who opened for [[the Jacksons]] on a national tour.<ref name="Soul"/> Following this, she sang with the group [[Change (band)|Change]], along with [[Luther Vandross]], where her voice was heard on their song "The Glow of Love", co-written by her childhood friend from East Elmhurst, Queens, Wayne K. Garfield.<ref name="Soul"/> She played one of her songs, "Stone Love", to another neighborhood friend, [[Kashif (musician)|Kashif]], who recorded it for [[Kashif (1983 album)|his debut album]] in 1983.<ref name="Soul"/> |
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==History== |
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La La took up the piano at the age of five and gave a piano recital at [[Carnegie Hall]] at the age of nine. |
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===Songwriting career=== |
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After leaving [[The High School of Music & Art|New York's High School of Music and Art]], she formed a band called Jack Sass, which played Top 40 cover versions on the club scene. |
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| ⚫ | Throughout the 1980s, La La established herself as a songwriter, penning songs for many artists including [[Lillo Thomas]] ("All of You"), [[Melba Moore]] ("Living for Your Love" and "It's Really Love"), [[Glenn Jones]] ("Show Me" and "Stay"), Giorge Pettus ("My Night for Love") and a solo release, "Into the Night" which was featured on the ''[[Beat Street (soundtrack)|Beat Street]]'' soundtrack album.<ref name="Soul"/> |
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Through Kashif, she had a couple of her songs recorded by new [[Arista Records|Arista]] signing [[Whitney Houston]] ("[[You Give Good Love]]" and "[[Thinking About You (Whitney Houston song)|Thinking About You]]") before signing to the label herself (both Kashif and Houston's label) as an artist.<ref name="Soul"/> In 1987, she released her debut album ''La La'', including duets with [[Glenn Jones]] and [[Bernard Wright]] and production by R&B group [[Full Force]]. She also duetted with [[Jermaine Jackson]] on a cover of [[Climie Fisher]]'s "[[Rise to the Occasion (Climie Fisher song)|Rise to the Occasion]]" for his 1989 album ''[[Don't Take It Personal (album)|Don't Take It Personal]]''. |
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As the group's reputation grew, La La began introducing more of her own songs into the repertoire before she went to [[Juilliard]] to major in composition. |
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La La continued to write and produce for major artists including [[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]] and the top 10 US R&B hit "Secret Lady" for [[Stephanie Mills]].<ref name="Soul"/> After a move to [[Motown Records]], she released her second (and last to date) solo album ''La La Means I Love You!'' in 1991, which included her version of her much-covered R&B classic "Show Me" as well as contributions from [[Rene Moore]], [[Marcus Miller]] and [[Lenny White]]. |
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In 1981, she was invited to tour with [[Stacy Lattisaw]] who opened for [[The Jacksons]] on a national tour. |
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In 2024, La La was inducted into the [[Women Songwriters Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=CCM News|title=Award-Winning Artist Martha Munizzi To Be Inducted Into Women Songwriter’s Hall of Fame|website=[[CCM Magazine]]|url= https://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/award-winning-artist-martha-munizzi-to-be-inducted-into-women-songwriters-hall-of-fame/#|date=11 June 2024|access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> |
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Following this she sang with the group Change, along with [[Luther Vandross]], where her voice was heard on their tune 'The Glow Of Love', co-written by her childhood friend from East Elmhurst, Queens, Wayne K. Garfield. |
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==Discography== |
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She played one of her songs, 'Stone Love', to another neighborhood friend, [[Kashif (musician)|Kashif]], who recorded it on his debut album in 1983. |
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===Albums=== |
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* ''La La'' (1987) |
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* ''La La Means I Love You!'' (1991) |
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== |
===Singles=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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| ⚫ | La La |
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|- |
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! Year |
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! Song |
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! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B]]</small><br><ref>{{cite magazine|title=La La - Chart History: HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SONGS |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/la-la/chart-history|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=October 27, 2020}}</ref> |
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|- |
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|rowspan="1"| 1984 |
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| "Into the Night" |
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| align=center | — |
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|- |
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|rowspan="1"| 1986 |
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| "(If You) Love Me Just a Little" |
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| align=center | 22 |
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|- |
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|rowspan="3"| 1987 |
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| "My Love Is on the Money" |
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| align=center | 48 |
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|- |
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| "I Got a Thing for You" |
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| align=center | — |
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|- |
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| "We'll Keep Striving" |
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| align=center | — |
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|- |
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|rowspan="1"| 1991 |
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| "A New Way of Love" |
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| align=center | — |
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|- |
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| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
Through Kashif, she had a couple of her tunes recorded by [[Whitney Houston]] ('You Give Good Love' and 'Thinking About You') before signing to [[Arista Records|Arista]] (both Kashif and Whitney Houston's label) as an artist. In 1987 she released a debut album, ''La La'', including 'We'll Keep Striving' (a duet with Bernard Wright), but she left the label shortly afterwards. |
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La La also wrote for [[Carl Anderson (singer)|Carl Anderson]] and [[Stephanie Mills]] in addition to further songs for herself, after a move to [[Motown Records]] in the early nineties. Her debut Motown album was ''La La Means I Love You'' in 1991. |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} |
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* [https://laforrestcope.com/ Official website] |
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* [https://www.discogs.com/artist/112470-La-La Album and singles discography] at [[Discogs]]. |
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* [https://www.facebook.com/La-La-songwriter-370156579667360/ Facebook page] |
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American musician |
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| DATE OF BIRTH = |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH = |
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| DATE OF DEATH = |
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| PLACE OF DEATH = |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:African-American women singer-songwriters]] |
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[[Category:American women singer-songwriters]] |
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[[Category:American contemporary R&B singers]] |
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[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state)]] |
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[[Category:The High School of Music & Art alumni]] |
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[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]] |
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[[Category:21st-century African-American women]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:50, 10 December 2024
La Forrest Cope | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | La Forrest Cope |
| Origin | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1981–1992 |
La Forrest 'La La' Cope is an American singer and songwriter.[1] She is best known for writing the hit song "You Give Good Love", recorded by Whitney Houston for her 1985 self-titled debut album,[2] which went on to sell over 25 million units worldwide.
Biography
[edit]La La was raised in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York City, United States.[3] She took up the piano at the age of five and gave a piano recital at Carnegie Hall at the age of nine.[3] After leaving New York's High School of Music and Art, she formed a band called Jack Sass, which played top 40 cover versions on the club scene.[3] As the group's reputation grew, La La began introducing more of her own songs into the repertoire before she went to Juilliard to major in composition.[3]
In 1981, she was invited to tour with Stacy Lattisaw who opened for the Jacksons on a national tour.[3] Following this, she sang with the group Change, along with Luther Vandross, where her voice was heard on their song "The Glow of Love", co-written by her childhood friend from East Elmhurst, Queens, Wayne K. Garfield.[3] She played one of her songs, "Stone Love", to another neighborhood friend, Kashif, who recorded it for his debut album in 1983.[3]
Songwriting career
[edit]Throughout the 1980s, La La established herself as a songwriter, penning songs for many artists including Lillo Thomas ("All of You"), Melba Moore ("Living for Your Love" and "It's Really Love"), Glenn Jones ("Show Me" and "Stay"), Giorge Pettus ("My Night for Love") and a solo release, "Into the Night" which was featured on the Beat Street soundtrack album.[3]
Through Kashif, she had a couple of her songs recorded by new Arista signing Whitney Houston ("You Give Good Love" and "Thinking About You") before signing to the label herself (both Kashif and Houston's label) as an artist.[3] In 1987, she released her debut album La La, including duets with Glenn Jones and Bernard Wright and production by R&B group Full Force. She also duetted with Jermaine Jackson on a cover of Climie Fisher's "Rise to the Occasion" for his 1989 album Don't Take It Personal.
La La continued to write and produce for major artists including Carl Anderson and the top 10 US R&B hit "Secret Lady" for Stephanie Mills.[3] After a move to Motown Records, she released her second (and last to date) solo album La La Means I Love You! in 1991, which included her version of her much-covered R&B classic "Show Me" as well as contributions from Rene Moore, Marcus Miller and Lenny White.
In 2024, La La was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.[4]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- La La (1987)
- La La Means I Love You! (1991)
Singles
[edit]| Year | Song | US R&B [5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Into the Night" | — | |||
| 1986 | "(If You) Love Me Just a Little" | 22 | |||
| 1987 | "My Love Is on the Money" | 48 | |||
| "I Got a Thing for You" | — | ||||
| "We'll Keep Striving" | — | ||||
| 1991 | "A New Way of Love" | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ Bultman, Scott. "Biography: La La". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ^ "La La Forrest Cope on Lyrical Passages". Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "La La Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
- ^ CCM News (June 11, 2024). "Award-Winning Artist Martha Munizzi To Be Inducted Into Women Songwriter's Hall of Fame". CCM Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "La La - Chart History: HOT R&B/HIP-HOP SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2020.