To the masses she might have come to prominence as a half of SHAKESPEARS SISTER in the late ’80s, yet to connoisseurs Marcella Detroit, or Marcy Levy, had been at the forefront – or, more often, in the background – of rock since the beginning of a previous decade. Her powerful voice should be familiar to any listener who’s ever heard Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and “Lay Down Sally” as she sang on both hits and co-penned the latter after several years of touring with the guitarist; some could remember her vocals from Bob Seger’s “So I Wrote You A Song” or “Millie And Billie” by Alice Cooper. Those are just a few pieces marked by Marcella’s presence, while her writing style left an imprint on platters which Belinda Carlisle, Jennifer Rush, Chaka Khan and VIXEN took up the charts, Detroit’s “Somebody’s Gonna Get Hurt” recorded not only by Patty Weaver but also but THREE DOG NIGHT. And then there was the lady’s solo career that started in 1982 with the criminally overlooked “Marcella” and reached proper heights when “Jewel” saw the light of day in 1994.
