LiVE MAGAZINE VOL 8, Issue #195 October 31st THRU November 14th, 2014

26
L I V E MAGAZINE
An Exclusive Interview for LIVE Magazine by Levvy Carriker
Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress
who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably “If My Friends Could
See Me Now”, “Bridge over Troubled Water”, “Runaway Love” and “Red Light”.
Her recordings have spent a total of 60 weeks at #1 on Billboard Magazine’s
dance charts earning Grammy Award and televised performances on American
Bandstand, Solid Gold and The Merv Griffin Show.
Not only is she a great entertainer, Linda is also an accomplished songwriter,
recording for other great artists such as Cher and Gladys Knight.
I had the honor of this exclusive interview with Linda, for LIVE Magazine, in
anticipation of her upcoming appearance November 8, 2014 at the Purple Room
in Palm Springs, California. Keep your eye out for other Palm Springs ‘sightings’
of the star as well! She will be grace our city for more than just one day.
(Levvy) When did you very first start to sing?
(Linda) Actually I think my very first performance was when I was four years old.
I don’t want to tell you how long ago that was. From that time on I knew what I
wanted to do. I always knew that I wanted to sing. My folks put me in school
for dancing because they thought I was clumbsy! And then they kept saying this
girls going to kill herself! We’ve got to do something! I would fall constantly! And I
did love it so much!
(Levvy) Where did you grow up?
(Linda) This was in Brooklyn New York.
(Levvy) Was there a lot of music happening around in the neighborhood?
(Linda) No not necessarily. I think that my Dad was very musical. He loved to
sing. And there was always music in our house. So more than anything I was
influenced I think by my older brother and my Dad with the music.
(Levvy) Your brother sings as well, I see.
(Linda) No, he does not. Dad just did. My brother, his voice was just absolutely
terrible. And my Mom, God Bless her, she couldn’t carry a tune if it was in a
bucket.
(Levvy)They gave it all to you I guess? You got al the talent!
(Linda) I was very blessed! It got handed to me, yes!
(Levvy) When did you start thinking you wanted to write songs? When did you
discover you wanted to be a writer?
(Linda) You know, honestly, going back to my high school days, I liked then to
write. Just putting down thoughts and different ideas and that kind of thing. At
that time, you know, people weren’t saying, “keep a journal” like the big thing
now, but I was doing it back then. Writing life experiences, things that happened
on a day to day basis.
(Levvy) I love that. Do you still have all those writings?
(Linda) I have some of them. I have lost some of them.
Every once in a while it is good to go back and read where you where.
(Levvy) When was your first big break? Was there a certain time that there was
a big break> Did you have that experience?
(Linda) I love the expression. Everybody always says “an overnight success”. I
was ‘overnight’ for about 25 years! It’s like, no, no, no I studied, well, not studied
classically, but my studies were in clubs. I travelled with a band on the road is
how I studied.
(Levvy) Who influenced you?
(Linda) Definitley it was my brother who influenced me. He was a Gay man
who is gone now and has been gone for like 20 some odd years because of
AIDS. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. I think about
him every day...how he changed my life and made things possible for me to
move on and be better.
(Levvy) That’s love! That is true love.
(Levvy) I am curious. As an acclaimed songwriter, I guess people have called
you and asked you to perform with them. What would it be like to have Gladys
Knight or Cher call you? What did that feel like?
(Linda) Well, first of all, calm down! It wasn’t that exciting! (laughter)
(Levvy) Well, it sure sounds exciting from this side!
(Linda) I know, but you know, it’s really one of those things where ‘her people’
will call ‘my people’...that type of thing, so there is never any direct contact.
I remember when the publishing house I was writing for at the time called
me and they said, “OK, we sent Cher one of your songs and she is really
interested.”
And I thought, “Is this some kind of a joke?” And I thought “OMG, just
breathe!” I mean, it’s Cher for God’s sake! And I have been a fan of hers since
the early days in the 60’s--before the TV show when they first really started. I
love Cher. And for them to call and say that...I was like, “OK! What do we do
next?” I was like a little kid! And they said, “Well you know you have to decide
how long we are going to let her hold the song.” And I am thinking...”She can
hold it until the cows come home!! I don’t care how long she holds it!”
She did hang on to it. Her people got back to them, and we got back to them
and they got back to me and the whole back and forth thing. For OVER A
YEAR!
(Levvy) Oh my! That’s tough.
(Linda) Yah! Listen, I was fine with it. This is Cher, ok?
(Levvy) Yes, I can imagine--Not a problem!
(Linda) Exactly, I thought, “Even if she says no, just the idea that she has my
song and kept it in her possesion and considered it? That is satifying!”
(Levvy) In her heart she loved it! Right!
(Linda) And so eventually word came back to me that they decided to go in
another direction and the typical kiss off speech--dammit!
(Levvy) That’s part of the busines!
(Linda) Yes, that is part of the business.
(Levvy) When you were working on the album, ‘Fame’ -the Oscar winning
motion picture soundtrack, right? Awesome! What was one of the most
interesting moments when working on that project?
(Linda) Um, I think the fact that I was about seven months pregnant...
(Levvy) Oh My! Really?
(Linda) Yeah, That was pretty interesting! I am in the studio, and Michael
Gore, who wrote the music to that film is producing the album and he is telling
me, “I want you to sing that part out!--Sing more from the diaphram!” And I
am thinking to myself, “This kid is gonna freak out!!” (laughter) You know, I am
in the booth singing my brains out about red lights. By the way, Mihael and I
became the best of friends as the result of that time we spent together. I loved
him so much. Michael and Dean Pitchford actually wrote “All the Man I Need.