Zulema

In the 1970s Zulema distinguished herself as a Black R&B performer who composed most of her own songs and shouldered part of the production load herself. Her albums functioned as unremarkable early examples of urban contemporary music, occasionally appearing in the lower reaches of the R&B charts, while her vocal approach reflected a pronounced Aretha Franklin influence. Born Zulema Cusseaux in Tampa, Florida, she belonged to the Lovelles from the late 1960s into the early 1970s. The Van McCoy-produced Lovelles single “So Much Love” climbed to a Top 20 R&B position in 1971, after which Zulema launched her solo career with a pair of albums on Sussex. Greater commercial traction arrived via a run of RCA LPs in the mid-1970s, highlighted by the 1975 single “Wanna Be Where You Are,” which reached the middle of the R&B charts. Her recording activity concluded with a late-1970s album issued on Le Joint.