Sheryl Lee Ralph (born December 30, 1956) – In The Evening (1984)
This inspirational dancefloor anthem was the title track to the award-winning actress and singer's debut album, and went to #5 on dance charts.
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Sheryl Lee Ralph is an award-winning actress and singer who shot to fame in the early 1980s when she was cast in the original Broadway musical Dreamgirls. She later launched a singing career, but has mostly focused on acting.
Born in Waterbury, Connecticut, Ralph was raised on Long Island and in Jamaica, where her mother was from. She performed in high school musicals, graduated early, and in 1975 became the youngest woman to graduate from Rutgers University in New Jersey, at age 19.
She had her film debut in 1977 when she was cast in a small role in A Piece of the Action, directed by Sidney Poitier. It was the third action-comedy film he directed and co-starred in along with Bill Cosby, following Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975).
This led to roles on TV shows including Wonder Woman, Good Times, and The Jeffersons. In 1981, she was cast alongside Jennifer Holliday and Loretta Devine as the fictional Chicago vocal trio The Dreams in the original Broadway musical Dreamgirls. It was the role that made her a star, and she was nominated for a Tony for Best Actress.
In 1984, Ralph released her debut album In The Evening. Its title track was a huge club hit, peaking at #5 on dance charts and #64 on the UK singles charts.
Ralph shot an unforgettable video to promote the track, in which she portrayed a down-on-her-luck woman in New York City who finds inspiration from a famous singer’s new hit song, in which “The real me comes alive…in the evening!”
The album’s other highlights were the upbeat dance track “Evolution” which was also released as a single, the laid back jam “Be Somebody,” and its heartfelt closing cut, “I’m So Glad That We’ve Met.”
She released other singles during the rest of the eighties, but decided to focus on her acting career instead of singing. Ralph has appeared in many films, TV shows, and Broadway musicals in the following decades, the latest being her Emmy-winning role on Abbott Elementary. In early 2023, she performed the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Super Bowl.
Ralph was good friends with the late great singer Sharon Redd, who died from AIDS complications in 1992. In response, and to honor the other friends she lost due to the virus, Ralph set up the DIVA Foundation (Divinely Inspired Victoriously Aware), which has raised money to fight AIDS ever since.
Happy Birthday to the great Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Further info:
“Sheryl Lee Ralph Is Glowing,” The New York Times, September 21, 2022.
“The Evolution of Sheryl Lee Ralph,” The Root, September 22, 2022.
“5 Things You Didn't Know About Sheryl Lee Ralph's Singing Career,” Essence, February 8, 2023.
“Sheryl Lee Ralph explains why she almost left showbiz,” NPR, February 21, 2023.
#soul #disco #Hi-NRG #SherylLeeRalph