Their vocals and songwriting feature on some of the biggest hits, but black
Women are often not credited, leaving their solo careers stunted and causing them to lose out financially
Through soul, funk, disco and beyond, black female vocalists stood proudly on the front of record sleeves and on stages. Then, in 1989, Italian dance group Black Box released their No 1 hit Ride on Time. Its powerhouse vocal hook was sampled from Loleatta Holloway’s 1980 hit Love Sensation, but in the credits, video and artwork, neither Holloway, nor the vocalist they later had re-record the sample, was anywhere to be found, while a different woman entirely mimed to the song on Top of the Pops.
The following year, US outfit C+C
music Factory released Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now), again with a strong soul vocal, courtesy of Martha Wash of the Weather Girls. Her name was also absent.