Jeanie Tracy

Jeanie Tracy is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as a background singer of Sylvester, an American disco singer. Her first album, Me and You (1982), featured post-disco hits "I'm Your Jeanie","Sing Your Own Song" and the overlooked 1983 smash R&B and Funk hit,"Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight". From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show Star Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1995, Tracy released her second album It's My Time.

In 2012, Tracy portrayed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the theater production Mahalia: A Gospel Singer. She released an extended play Making New Friends (2015), which features past singles.

Throughout her career, Tracy has scored four number-one dance singles: "The Power" (2001), "Cha Cha Heels" (2004), "Party People" (2006), and "Livin' for Your Love (Your Love)" (2016).

Jeanie Autre Tracy was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Fresno, California. At a young age, Tracy began singing in her church choir at Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. During her high school years, she studied opera and classical piano. She played the lead in Oscar Brown Jr.'s stage play Slave Driver in 1970.

In 1975, Tracy released her debut single "Making New Friends" on the Brown Door Records. In 1976, she contributed vocals to Richard "Dimples" Fields' album Ready For Anything. In 1979, Tracy relocated to San Francisco, California where she was introduced to Harvey Fuqua, the manager for American disco singer Sylvester. Soon after meeting Sylvester, Tracy became friends with him and began singing backgrounds for him in addition to his then-current background singers Two Tons o' Fun (Martha Wash and Izora Armstead). In March 1979, she debuted as his background vocalist on Sylvester's live album Living Proof which was performed at the War Memorial Opera House. In the same year, Tracy contributed her vocals to the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola's film, Apocalypse Now.

In 1980, Tracy sang background vocals on Two Tons o Fun first-two albums Two Tons of Fun and Backatcha. In 1981, Sylvester released his fifth and final album Too Hot to Step. The album featured two duet songs from Sylvester and Tracy called "Here Is My Love" and "Give It Up", both of which peaked at number 20 on Billboard's Disco chart. In the same year, she appeared as a featured vocalist on the song "You're Gonna Lose Me" for jazz musician Freddie Hubbard's album Splash.

In 1982, Tracy released her debut album Me and You on Fantasy Records. The album's lead single was "Your Old Standby", a cover of Mary Wells's 1963 hit. The second single "I'm Your Jeanie" would inspire Sylvester's song "Do You Wanna Funk". The third single was the album's titled-track "Me and You". In the same year, she released two singles "Can I Come Over And Play With You Tonight" and "Hot(For Your Love)". In 1984, she secured a record contract with Megatone Records and released two singles "Sing Your Own Song" and "Time Bomb", which peaked at number thirty-three on Billboard's Dance chart. From late 1984 to early 1985, she performed on television Show Star Search where she was the winner in the Female Vocalist category for six weeks. In 1985, she released her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which peaked at number twenty-two on the Dance chart. In the same year, Tracy became friends with Narada Michael Walden, whom she sang backgrounds vocals on his album The Nature of Things.

In 1987, Tracy took a brief hiatus from the mainstream spotlight to take care of friend Sylvester, who had now been diagnosed with AIDS. In 1988, she appeared alongside Sylvester in the Castro's 1988 Gay Freedom Parade. Following Sylvester's death, Tracy sang Sylvester's favorite song "Never Grow Old" during his funeral at Love Center Church in East Oakland. In the same year, Tracy released a single "Let's Dance".