The legendary Stax Records has been responsible for the careers of artists like: Otis Redding, The Soul Children, Isaac Hayes, The Bar-Kays and many others. The label also adorned the records of Memphis-bred singer Mary Frierson, better known as Wendy Rene.
Rene got her start in the early 60’s as part of the group The Drapels and managed to have a coexisting solo deal at the time. During her solo recording period Rene created a list of classic songs, “Your Love is all I Need,” “Please Don’t Leave,” “After Laughter Comes Tears,” and “Young and Foolish.” After The Drapels disbanded, Rene opted to end her solo career for motherhood. Ironically, her last show was supposed to be with Otis Redding and Bar-Kays, on the day of their plane crash however, she did not attend the show.
Though her career was brief, Rene left behind a discography of classic music which seemed to be heavily rediscovered in the early 1990’s with the rise of sampled music within the hip-hop community in the form of her song, “After Laughter Comes Tears.” The song was sampled by Wu-Tang Clan (“Tearz”), RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (“Black Widow Pt. 2”), Kendrick Lamar, Ab Soul and Punch (“West Coast Wu-Tang”) and Alicia Keys (“Where Do We Go From Here”).
Finally, Light in The Attic Records, gives listeners a full compilation of rarities from Rene just in time for Mother’s Day (gift idea!). What comes across with this project is Rene's hauntingly beautiful voice, the sincerity in her lyrics, and a timelessness that makes Rene's music relevant now, decades later. These elements are rare in our current techno driven society. Today, a lot of music is created for a certain time period or purpose and may not be understood by generations down the line—this project is relatable still on many fronts and for multiple demographics.
The production of Rene's music and the time period in which it was created seems to have influenced some of our favorite artists like Raphael Saadiq and Mayer Hawthorne. This project was a necessary release, and will introduce a new generation to the music of Ms.Wendy Rene.
- Erin Duncan
