Essra Mohawk

American singer/songwriter whose career spanned over 5 decades.
Born: April 23, 1948, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Died: December 11, 2023, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Starting her journey in the music industry at a young age with a 1965 single released as Jamie Carter. She then met Shadow Morton who helped her pitch songs she wrote to the Shangri-Las (I'll Never Learn) and Vanilla Fudge (The Spell That Comes After). In 1967 she met Frank Zappa in New York, after which she joined his Mothers Of Invention. This association led to the release of her first LP Sandy's Album Is Here At Last on Bizarre in 1968. In 1969 she was discovered singing in a New York club by Mo Ostin, who signed her for Reprise. That same year she recorded her debut ablum as Essra Mowhawk, released by Reprise in May 1970. Primordial Lovers received a lot of praise.

Throughout the 1970s and beyond, Mohawk continued to make contributions to the music world, both as a performer and a songwriter. She sang memorable tunes for Schoolhouse Rock! and worked with various bands, including a stint with the Jerry Garcia Band. There were also collaborations with Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner.