Sharon Tandy

South African vocalist Sharon Tandy enjoyed only a fleeting run as a blue-eyed soul artist on British soil during the 1960s. Although none of her releases achieved substantial commercial success, her singular phrasing and fervent delivery hint that wider recognition lay within easy grasp. She had already built a reputation as a singer and live performer in her homeland before moving to England in 1964 at the urging of Frank Fenter, the U.K. head of Atlantic Records who soon became her mentor, manager, and husband. Fenter matched her with the British mod band Fleur de Lys, then used his position to obtain an opening slot on the 1967 Stax-Volt U.K. tour and to secure a Stax recording contract for her. Those arrangements placed Tandy in the label’s celebrated McLemore Avenue studio, where she cut several sides backed by Booker T. & the MG's and Isaac Hayes. Her partnership with Fenter eventually broke down, leading her to return to South Africa in 1970 and resume singing and performing there. The sides she made during her British years—mod-tinged, occasionally lightly psychedelic pop-soul—frequently recalled a hipper, tougher version of Dusty Springfield and still anchor her reputation.