Norma Fraser

Born in St. Andrew, Jamaica, West Indies, Norma Fraser cut her first sides as a duet with Lord Creator during 1961. The resulting single, ‘We Will Be Lovers’/‘Come On Pretty Baby’, reached the top of the Jamaican chart and remained prominent for the rest of that year. Island Records issued the record in Britain two years later, where it found favor inside the West Indian community. Those early successes opened the door to Studio One dates alongside Bob Marley And The Wailers, Ken Boothe, the Skatalites and Delroy Wilson. Under Coxsone Dodd’s supervision she soon delivered a string of solo successes—‘Heartaches’, ‘Respect’, ‘Time’ and ‘Come By Here’—the last of which appeared as the A-side of the Wailers’ ‘I Stand Predominate’. Fraser next became the house singer at Montego Bay’s Club 35 and supplied vocals for the Roland Alphonso Trio, the Sheikhs and the Cavaliers. Along Jamaica’s north coast she performed at the Playboy Club, the Silver Seas Hotel, the Arawak Hotel and the Sheraton, and she backed visiting soul artists such as Sam Cooke and Chuck Jackson. After a period of modest releases she recorded a version of P.P. Arnold’s ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’; issued in the UK, it earned widespread praise and earned her the title of best Female Newcomer for 1967. She stayed visible with the pointed ‘Telling Me Lies’, backed by the Viceroys’ ‘Shake Up’, yet the single did not repeat its predecessor’s impact and Fraser slipped into a brief obscurity. A later recording of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ restored a measure of attention. In 1970 she moved to the United States, where she appeared at a benefit concert in support of congresswoman Bella Abzug. While living stateside she kept a low profile, serving as lead singer for several little-known groups. Her standing revived in the early 1990s when she toured Colorado and Texas, opening shows for Yellowman and Inner Circle during their respective American visits.