Evelyn Thomas

Chicago native Evelyn Thomas first surfaced ahead of disco’s mainstream ascent via the U.K. Top 40 single “Weak Spot” in 1976, yet it was during the post-disco years that her place in dance-music history solidified. Emerging from club play, the 1984 track “High Energy,” helmed by longtime collaborator Ian Levine, revived her trajectory by reaching the British Top Ten and claiming the top spot on the American club chart, cementing its status as a landmark post-disco recording. A former gospel performer whose voice carried blues inflections, Thomas sustained an extended career beyond that signature release, her supple, soul-drenched delivery suiting soul-jazz, torch material, and the driving electronic dance sound with which she became most closely identified.

Ellen Lucille Thomas was first spotted in Chicago by British DJ, songwriter, and producer Ian Levine, who had traveled to the United States seeking talent for his newly established Voltafine Production Company. His aim was to capture American soul artists and license the recordings to major labels. Struck by Thomas’s voice, Levine recorded several sides with her and arranged a contract with 20th Century Records. Working alongside Danny Leake, he produced her debut single “Weak Spot,” which climbed to number 26 on the U.K. pop chart in early 1976. The momentum generated by Thomas’s release and others led Voltafine to bring its American roster to England for live dates and appearances on Top of the Pops. Thomas arrived alongside fellow Chicago artists Barbara Pennington and L.J. Johnson. The television spots proved successful, and her follow-up “Doomsday” nearly secured another U.K. Top 40 entry. Once back in Chicago, the three performers were recalled to Britain to perform in Northern soul venues under the name Chicago Soul Revue. Earlier in the decade Levine had already built a reputation as a DJ at Blackpool Mecca, one of the scene’s principal clubs.

After issuing four singles on 20th Century, Thomas moved to Casablanca and AVI, delivering the albums I Wanna Make It on My Own and Have a Little Faith in Me before the close of the 1970s. For several years she released no new material. Once Levine emerged as a leading architect of the uptempo, electronic post-disco style known as Hi-NRG—evident in club successes such as Miquel Brown’s “So Many Men, So Little Time”—he and Thomas renewed their collaboration on “High Energy.” The 1984 single, issued in Britain by Record Shack, became emblematic of the style, reaching number five on the U.K. chart. Licensed in the United States to Vanguard, it ascended to number one on the Billboard club chart. The accompanying album High Energy stood as Thomas’s most successful long-form release and was followed two years later by Standing at the Crossroads. She continued issuing lower-profile singles through the 1990s and maintained recording and performance activity into the 2010s. Evelyn Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70.