Gwen McCrae

Best remembered for her number one R&B hit "Rockin' Chair" from 1975, Gwen Mccrae was a gutsy Southern soul diva with a particular affinity for dance tracks. Along with her husband George ("Rock Your Baby"), Gwen was part of the Miami-based T.K. Records stable, which laid a great deal of groundwork for the disco explosion. Born Gwen Mosley in Pensacola, FL, in 1943, she grew up singing in her Pentecostal church and later discovered secular singers like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. She began performing in local clubs as a teenager, also singing with local groups like The Lafayettes and The Independents. In 1963, she met a young Navy sailor named George Mccrae, whom she married within a week. When George was discharged, he re-formed an earlier group he'd sung with called the Jivin' Jets, and invited Gwen to join as well. Soon, however, George and Gwen split off to form a duo -- aptly dubbed George & Gwen -- and moved to West Palm Beach to perform in clubs all over South Florida.