Cheryl Lynn is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She started her career at 16 years old when she won the TV show Star Search, which led to further work in commercials, films, theater projects and music videos for artists like Michael Jackson.
Cheryl Lynn is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her 1977 hit “Crazy”. She has released 10 studio albums, 8 compilation albums and 1 live album. Her husband is former NFL player Jeff Saturday.
While Cheryl Lynn benefited from timely collaborations with major players such as David Foster and David Paich, Ray Parker, Jr., Luther Vandross, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, who co-wrote and/or produced her biggest hits, it can also be argued that the singer provided her collaborators with some of their most significant and opportune career achievements. Nobody except Lynn, a church-raised dynamo with a continuously lively and soaring voice, could have had the platinum breakthrough “Got to Be Real,” “Shake It Up Tonight,” “If This World Were Mine,” and “Encore,” all Top Five R&B singles from 1978 to 1983. Lynn, a composer and producer, reached the pinnacle of her career during that six-year span, with three Top Ten R&B albums, including her gold-certified debut Cheryl Lynn (1978), Instant Love (1982), and Preppie (1984). (1983). Lynn recorded for Manhattan and Virgin after six albums for Columbia, published her final album in the mid-’90s, and has since performed and recorded infrequently, most recently on the soundtrack for Shark Tale (2004).
Lynn, a native of Los Angeles, started singing as a child in church, where her mother was the musical director, and continued with the adult choir of her parish. She left her college studies in speech therapy in 1976 to pursue acting and singing. She worked with The Wiz’s national touring company for eight months, first as a background singer and then as the Wicked Witch of the West. Lynn grudgingly and successfully auditioned for The Gong Show at her manager’s request at this period, and returned to sing Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher’s “You Are So Beautiful,” for which she earned a perfect score. Lynn piqued the attention of many record companies as more than a curiosity. At the end of 1977, Columbia signed her, and the singer, who was still in her teens, was also credited with background vocals on D.J. Rogers’ Love, Music & Life and Eddie Kendricks’ Slick.
“Got to Be Real,” Lynn’s first solo recording, was released in 1978. It was written by Lynn with David Foster and David Paich, the latter of whom — a member of Columbia labelmates Toto — produced it with his father, Marty Paich, in a bubbly and complex crossover dance hit. The song soared to number one on Billboard’s R&B chart and number 12 on the mainstream chart, and it was quickly certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cheryl Lynn, which reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, went Top Five R&B, and received a gold plaque, was boosted by the number 16 R&B smash “Star Love” (originally the B-side of “Got to Be Real”) and the deep disco classic “You Saved My Day” as it climbed the charts. Toto featured Lynn on “Georgy Porgy,” another Top 20 R&B song, at the same period.
The singer negotiated the post-disco period by changing studio partners on a regular basis. Following her Barry Blue-produced follow-up, In Love, Lynn collaborated closely with Ray Parker, Jr., the rhythm guitarist from “Got to Be Real,” who enlisted the help of most of Raydio, as well as arranger and fellow Barry White associate Gene Page, bassist Marcus Miller, and many more of his distinguished studio session peers, to cut the 1981 album In the Night. Its greatest hit was “Shake It Up Tonight,” a high-stepping tune penned by Mike & Brenda Sutton that reached number five on the R&B and dance charts. Lynn next teamed up with Luther Vandross for her second Top Ten R&B album, Instant Love, released in 1982. The album included a version of Marvin Gaye’s “If This World Were Mine,” which featured Miller’s silky basslines and Vandross’ distinctive vocal arrangements — enlivened by top-tier artists like Tawatha Agee and Fonzi Thornton. The update reached number four on the R&B chart thanks to Lynn and her duet partner, Luther Vandross. That same year, she sang “Goodbye for Now,” Stephen Sondheim’s theme from the film Reds, with flutist Hubert Laws.
Meanwhile, Lynn continued to discreetly provide background vocals to records by Parker, Vandross, Greg Phillinganes, Betty Wright, and a few other artists. Her inventiveness was not hampered by her extracurricular activities. With the exception of “Encore,” a Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis duet that swung a bit differently than the duo’s previous success with Klymaxx and the S.O.S. Band, she produced every song on her fifth album, Preppie. “Encore” was Lynn’s second R&B chart-topper (and Jam and Lewis’ first of many), as well as her fourth and last Hot 100 appearance. Lynn’s third Top Ten R&B album was the parent release. Her Columbia tenure came to an end two years later with It’s Gonna Be Right, on which she collaborated with Jam and Lewis, their other ex-Time bandmate Monte Moir, and Hubert Eaves III, who had just completed D Train.
Lynn ended the decade with the albums Start Over and Whatever It Takes, which were released on Manhattan in 1987 and Virgin in 1989, respectively. These albums also included a diverse range of contributors. “If You Were Mine,” a midtempo groove co-written by future Rihanna hitmakers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers that just missed the R&B Top Ten, was a highlight of Start Over. Whatever It Takes dabbled in the popular new jack swing style, as shown by “Upset!” a duet with Loose Ends and Jesse Johnson (yet another Time alum), but its greatest success was a plush ballad recorded by Lynn and Johnson, “Everytime I Try to Say Goodbye.”
Lynn produced one more album, Good Time, which was only disseminated in parts of Europe and Japan after she sang backup on many early-’90s Richard Marx recordings. Teddy Riley (Guy, Blackstreet) produced almost half of the tracks, while Jazzie B. (Soul II Soul) collaborated with the vocalist on the song “Renegade.” Lynn has been away from the music business since the album’s release in 1995, although he still performs now and then. In 2001, “Got to Be Real” was certified platinum, and the Dance Music Hall of Fame recognized it four years later. Between the two awards, Lynn, Jam, and Lewis regrouped for the Shark Tale soundtrack to produce “Sweet Kind of Life.”
Cheryl Lynn is a singer who has been in the music industry for over 30 years. She was born in Washington D.C. and started her career when she was 16 years old. In addition to being a singer, she also released an album of children’s songs in 2008. Her most popular song is “I will always love you”. Reference: how old is cheryl lynn.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cheryl Lynn come out to be real?
A: Cheryl Lynn came out in 1986.
Is Cheryl Lynn still singing?
A: Cheryl Lynn is still alive and well, but she has not released any new material since 1990.
Who wrote Cheryl Lynn got to be real?
A: Cheryl Lynn is a singer, songwriter and record producer who was born on February 27th in 1954. She wrote the 1974 hit single Got to Be Real.
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