Ann Cole

Ann Cole, born Cynthia Coleman in January of 1934 in New Jersey, was steeped in music from an early age by a family filled with gospel singers. By 15 she was the lead singer of the group The Colemanaires, gaining touring experience and recording her first tracks with them. She began a secular career in 1954, taking the name Ann Cole. Performances throughout the Eastern part of the United States led to her recording the Sheb Wooley number “Are You Satisfied?”, and that track landed her in the R&B top 10 in 1956. That same year the music magazine Cash Box named her the most promising Female R&B vocalist. She toured with Muddy Waters, regularly performing the song “Got My Mojo Working”, which Waters would later make one of his signature songs when he recorded for Chess Records. She would have two more top 40 R&B hits, 1957’s “In the Chapel” and 1962’s “Have Fun” She cracked the pop chart for the only time, hitting number 99 with 1962’s “Don’t Stop the Wedding”. At that time, a tragic car accident ended her singing career. Cole needed a wheelchair for the rest of her life, which ended in November of 1986.

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