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Gayle McCormick (November 26, 1948 – March 1, 2016) was an American singer, best known for her work with the rock band Smith. Her recording and performing career stretched from 1965 to 1976.
McCormick confessed that she intentionally shed her 'Smith' image (even though her new band routinely performed "Baby It's You"). She stated that felt more confident as a solo artist, being able to choose her own material. "I pick songs that I can feel and put myself into," McCormick told a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter. While she did not envision herself singing professionally in another twenty years, she was enjoying herself on the road."Gayle Is A Combination Of Brains, Beauty, and Talent," The Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 November 1971, 26.
On the radio, McCormick's performance of Lambert and Potter's "It's a Cryin' Shame" charted at a modest #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 but later became a top 10 hit on the new Adult Contemporary chart. It was covered in 1976 by Cher. McCormick also recorded an American Bandstand video for "It's a Cryin' Shame." Her follow-up single, "You Really Got a Hold on Me," barely scraped the Billboard Hot 100 at #98. Another single, "C'est La Vie," failed to generate any chart activity. McCormick recorded a version of "Superstar" at around the same time as the Carpenters recorded their major hit.
McCormick admitted her first album was something of a "downer...Most of the songs, well, just weren't my kind of material," she said. "But I did it because it was a single album and...I needed that. Now, I know what I want to do." She hinted that her next releases would move away from the "bubble-gum" of her first single and fully embrace the R&B style she greatly preferred."Three Dog Night Devotees Can't Take It Sitting Down," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 November 1971, 34; "Gayle McCormick A Solo and Enjoying It," The Los Angeles Times, 16 November 1971, 68.
McCormick recorded her second album on a new label, Decca/MCA at Bolic Sound in early 1972. Jay Lasker of Dunhill had dropped McCormick from his label for lack of sales. Grousing about the recent trend of "singing broads," Lasker implied that he had expected McCormick's debut to perform as well as Carole King's. "It just didn't work out," he bluntly told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1972.John Weisman, "Records: A Trend Is a Matter of Hindsight," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8 October 1972, 247. However, McCormick continued to work with manager Burt Jacobs, the same manager as Three Dog Night.Rich Zitrin, "Singing Next For Quarry," The Akron Beacon-Journal, 15 June 1972, 63.
Flesh & Blood, McCormick's new package of R&B-influenced tunes, was perhaps her strongest offering, with generally positive reviews in the U.S. and Canada. It was co-produced by Tom Thacker and Joe Schermie, former bassist for Three Dog Night.The Pittsburgh Press, 22 April 1973, 126. The LP cover featured McCormick in tight cutoffs and a form-fitting top, capitalizing on the chiefly male appeal she was receiving at this time.
McCormick co-wrote "Take Me Back," the opening track on Flesh & Blood, and she had more creative control over her material. Frank Collette of the Underhand Band recorded most of the keyboards, with contributions from Gary Stephens and Eddie Beyer. Stan Seymore played guitar, Maurice Miller handled the drums, and Ray Neapolitan served as bassist. In addition, the multi-instrumentalist Don Menza played and arranged the "McCormick Horns" section with Chuck Findley (trumpet and trombone), Slyde Hyde (additional trombones), and Sam Falzone (tenor saxophone).
McCormick toured with her nine-piece band in support of Flesh & Blood, including several dates on the California night-club circuit.Santa Maria Times, 19 December 1972, 24. Despite Decca's efforts to rebrand McCormick, neither single from her second album, the ballad "Near You" nor the rock-inflected "Grey Line Tour," charted. More than one reviewer from this period lamented the fact that McCormick possessed great vocal talent, but could not find a radio hit.The Honolulu Advertiser, 9 November 1972, 24; Robert Scott, Journal and Courier, 7 November 1974, 46.
After two big commercial disappointments in the top 40 arena, McCormick changed music labels once again in 1973, this time to Fantasy Records. She continued to tour sporadically, sharing one date with the ascendant Stevie Wonder in El Paso.The El Paso Prospector, 18 January 1973, 19. Ultimately, McCormick drifted toward the Easy Listening and Country and Western spheres, releasing the album One More Hour on Fantasy in 1974. Reviews were sparse in comparison with her earlier music, but still somewhat favorable. Like its predecessor, "Hour" failed to chart despite a spirited cover of "Original Midnight Mama," which echoed her first love of R&B music.Allen Maculay, "'Pure Music' Is Knockout," The Record, 19 November 1974; Will Smith, "New Sounds," Omaha World-Herald, 6 December 1974, 8.
For her final efforts at Top 40 airplay, McCormick recorded two dance-rock tracks, "Coming in Out of the Rain" and "Simon Said," for a 1975 45 single on the Shady Brook label. McCormick also contributed backing vocals to Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade's Waylon Jennings-produced 1976 self-titled Capitol LP, from which the single "Ladies Love Outlaws" was drawn. Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade, Capitol Records ST-11491 At this time, she covered "Torn Between Two Lovers," first made popular by Mary MacGregor.
After a troubled relationship with one of her Smith bandmates, Gayle McCormick focused on her music career. On 22 September 1972, she married a carpenter named Richard L. Halley in Carson City, Nevada. They moved to Hawaii soon thereafter. Her union with Halley lasted under three years. According to records on Ancestry, they were divorced in Los Angeles sometime in June 1975.
In late 2015, McCormick was hospitalized for pneumonia, and during the treatment, it was discovered that she had cancer that had metastasized from a tumor in a lung to the rest of her body. Disc jockey Jonnie King was often by her side as the former vocalist fought for her life. McCormick died of cancer March 1, 2016 in suburban St. Louis. She was age 67. VH1's Save the Music Foundation was instrumental in raising Gayle McCormick's profile after she died.
Personal life
Much attention was paid to Gayle McCormick's appearance during her breakout period in 1971-1972. Most of this press exposure was positive. "I started out looking like the stereotypical rock singer...faded jeans, messy hair, no make-up. But now I've been there and I know that's not really me at all." In the same interview, she joked that she hoped to one day share the same stage as French mime Marcel Marceau. McCormick's attractiveness also caught the notice of male reviewers, whose observations ranged from flattering to misogynistic. For example, one concert reviewer in Wisconsin hailed the vocalist as a "rock-blues empress," and another male reporter in Minnesota crassly described her as a "b---h goddess in tight pants."Ruth King, The Daily News, 3 May 1972, 380; The Minneapolis Star, 16 October 1971, 10; Stevens Point Daily Journal, 1 December 1972, 9.
Final years
After leaving professional music, Gayle McCormick returned home to St. Ann, Missouri and pursued a quiet career in retail and information technology. She never remarried or had any children. Gayle did not resume her singing career. She later cited burnout from the atmosphere of alcohol and drugs shared by many musicians, both of which she ultimately rejected; she was a lifelong smoker. Gayle stayed very close to her mother Ethel until her death in 2010.
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