Biography
Who is Rita Coolidge?
Early life and education
Rita Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennessee, on May 1, 1945. Her parents were Dick and Charlotte Coolidge, a minister and a schoolteacher. She grew up with a brother named Raymond and two sisters, Linda and Priscilla. While her father was Cherokee and her mother was part Cherokee and part Scottish, the family was not enrolled in any specific Native American tribe.
She attended Maplewood High School in Nashville before graduating from Andrew Jackson Senior High School in Jacksonville, Florida. Rita pursued higher education at Florida State University. During her time there, she became a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
Music career beginnings
Rita began her professional path singing jingles in Memphis. She was eventually discovered by the duo Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, who helped her launch her career in Los Angeles. She worked as a backing vocalist for many well-known musicians, including Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Leon Russell. Her contributions appeared on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour and album.
She earned the nickname The Delta Lady, a title that inspired a song written by Leon Russell. In the early 1970s, she began releasing her own albums, starting with her self-titled debut in 1971. Her discography grew throughout the decade with albums such as Nice Feelin', The Lady's Not for Sale, and Anytime...Anywhere.
Chart success and collaborations
Rita achieved significant popularity on the pop and country charts between 1977 and 1978. She scored four consecutive top 25 hits, including covers of We're All Alone, The Way You Do The Things You Do, and (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher. She also recorded the theme song for the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy, titled All Time High.
She married musician Kris Kristofferson in 1973. The pair recorded multiple duet albums that performed well commercially. Their work earned them two Grammy Awards, first in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom and again in 1976 for Lover Please. The couple had one daughter together in 1974 before divorcing in 1980.
Personal life and later years
Rita has lived in various locations throughout her life, including Fallbrook, California, where she focused on painting and exhibiting her artwork until 2017. She published her autobiography, titled Delta Lady: A Memoir, in April 2016. In 2015, she was inducted into the Southern Museum of Music Hall of Fame.
Her romantic history includes relationships with musicians Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Leon Russell. She was married to Tatsuya Suda from 2004 to 2012. In 2018, she married Joe Hutto, a former college boyfriend, and moved to Tallahassee. Her sister, Priscilla, died in 2014.
Birthday and age
Rita Coolidge was born on May 1, 1945, which makes Rita 81 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Rita shares the date with 32 other famous people.
Explore more
