Pepper Mashay

Pepper Mashay, born Jean McClain, drew her earliest inspiration from the folk-rock movement that flourished in the closing years of the 1960s and initially mapped out a path as a rock singer and songwriter. A single visit to a European nightclub prompted an abrupt pivot toward dance music. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Jean McClain lent her voice to numerous hit recordings by major artists, among them Michael Bolton’s “Time, Love and Tenderness,” Cher’s “Love Hurts,” Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” and Whitney Houston’s “My Love Is Your Love.” In 1991 she became a member of the vocal ensemble Voyceboxing, whose first album was produced by Lenny White. Three years later the long-planned solo trajectory finally commenced once she encountered producer Michael O’Hara.

Her debut arrived in 1995 with the single “Something to Feel,” which was followed in short order by “Into You,” “Happiness,” and “Right Back to Love.” The 2000 release “Dive In the Pool” quickly ascended to the top of the dance and club charts and earned the Best Underground 12" honor at the Miami Winter Music Conference. Twelve months afterward, the Barry Harris–produced track “I Got My Pride” reached the number-one position on Billboard’s dance music chart.