*Music Icons, multiple Grammy Award-winners and multi-platinum selling artists Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. have released their new single, “Silly Love Songs.” The new offering is from the couple’s highly anticipated first studio album in three decades, Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons, due this spring.
Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons marks the couple’s first album with Encore Endeavor 1 (EE1), a subsidiary of kathy ireland® Worldwide (kiWW®), which has a multi-recording agreement with music giant BMG. This project also marks kiWW’s second collaboration with BMG, with the first one making music history after Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable skyrocketed to Billboard’s top spot on the album chart.
The couple enjoys tremendous success through the years as recording artists, performers and authors. They have received 7 Grammy Awards, and earned 15 gold and 3 platinum records.
“Silly Love Songs is one of our favorite Paul & Linda McCartney classics. When it was released, we’d play it in the car, driving everywhere from the Watts Towers, near Marilyn’s first job at the War on Poverty, to down Pacific Coast Highway, hitting the beach. After listening to it multiple times, we’d turn the cassette player off, and sing it a capella to each other, trading verses back and forth. We knew one day we’d record it. One special memory is that Silly Love Songs was a hit the same year we released You Don’t Have To Be A Star. We felt a little bit competitive, and were really happy that You Don’t Have To Be A Star was number one in the same year. We had a funny expression back and forth in those days … we’d just look at each other and say ‘Silly!‘ and start to crack up. ’76 was a great year for music. Diana Ross’ ‘Love Hangover‘, Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish‘, Lou Rawls’ ‘You’ll Find Another Love Like Mine‘, the great Aretha Franklin with ‘Giving Him Something He Can Feel‘ were all big records at that time. We think we felt the connection because Paul had come from The Beatles, was married to Linda … and we were married, and had just left the original 5th Dimension the year before,” say Marilyn and Billy.
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“We chose Silly Love Songs as a Valentine’s Day message for everyone who has ever been in love. No matter your age, or how you live your life, it’s important to keep love alive and to have those private silly moments … especially at this time. We like to enjoy each other. We are still living a great romance and love story, and as that beautiful song says – ‘What’s wrong with that?’” added the couple, who celebrated their 51st anniversary this past July.
“Marilyn and Billy are pop culture icons, whose music is listened to by millions of people, all over the world, every year, according to Spotify. They are national treasures. We have very few artists today that are able to do what Marilyn & Billy do vocally, and even fewer with their history,” says Kathy Ireland, Chair, CEO of kathy ireland® Worldwide, who co-founded Encore Endeavor 1 with Nic Mendoza, the heir to a family with generations of extraordinary musical success. “Marilyn and Billy have been a part of our family for a long time. They have timeless hits, changed the sound of music, and seven Grammys in every genre from pop to R&B. Their voices are powerful, both literally and figuratively. We are beyond thrilled to share with the world their first studio album in three decades, and it is a great pleasure to do it with our great partners, the incredible team at BMG, and of course their CEO, Hartwig Masuch. Silly Love Songs is a Valentine to all the lovers everywhere, from the first couple of Pop & Soul. Marilyn & Billy are inspired by great artists, and Silly Love Songs is an homage to the true spirit of love.” Ms. Ireland enjoys unusual success as a supermodel-turned-Supermogul … turned super artist manager. Ms. Ireland’s past and present clients include, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Kenny Loggins, The Pointer Sisters, Ed Begly Jr., and Diahann Carroll. Ms. Ireland serves on many boards including the advisory board for Serena Williams’ company, the WNBA Board of Advocates, and is one of the first women to serve on the NFLPI.
“Silly Love Songs? Such a cool, contemporary, up-tempo dance track with some retro vibe layered in,” says Nic Mendoza who produced Silly Love Songs and the entire upcoming studio album. “Marilyn & Billy deliver vocal notes that are phenomenal for any one of any era, and at this time in their careers, the music world is without another husband and wife performing duo of their extraordinary talent. Billy leads the track with his iconic, soul sound that brought the two of them and the original 5th Dimension such great success. Marilyn’s crystalline, beautiful soprano and Billy’s powerful, rhythmic grit are awesome … when these two voices combine, it’s unbelievable … a powerful blend, that keeps it serious, silly or even sexy, depending on the track. We think this music is going to surprise a lot of people. I wanted to work with Marilyn & Billy because their contribution to sonic culture deserves appreciation and great recognition. They have too many firsts to even acknowledge. I discovered them through our family’s collection of vinyl, and dreamed of working with them. Kathy made the introduction, and my passion for their music convinced them to go back into the studio and find out what we could do together. The times we are living through helped shape every selection. My love of great music is generational – from my grandfather, Jaime Mendoza-Nava, who was a legendary composer, to my uncle René Elizondo Jr., who crafted some of the most famous music, choreography, and videos of all time. Having had the privilege of working with artists from Vanessa Williams to Robin Thicke to Janet Jackson, I’m extremely proud of this album, and so honored to be producing Marilyn & Billy for kathy ireland Worldwide and our company, EE1, for BMG. We chose Silly Love Songs as the first single for our album, Blackbird, because, it felt like the song we needed to celebrate Marilyn & Billy’s Renaissance with music, some funk, and fun. We’re facing challenging times, and it’s great to hear music like this right now … despite their maturity, Marilyn & Billy still have the ability to be romantic and silly in the studio … I’ve got stories that I ain’t gonna tell … at least not yet!” finished Mendoza.
Silly Love Songs is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music
https://mccoodavis.lnk.to/SillyLoveSongs
www.mccoodavis.com
Instagram: @mccoodavis
Twitter: @mccoodavis
Facebook: facebook.com/McCooDavis/
Silly Love Songs
Written by: Paul & Linda McCartney
Performed by: Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
Executive Producers: Kathleen Marie Ireland, Jon Carrasco, Stephen Roseberry, Steve Rosenblum
Producer: Nic Mendoza
Co-Producer & Lead Engineer: Tim Sonnefeld
Worldwide Creative Director: Jon Carrasco
Recording Package Artistry & Illustrations by: Brittany Duncan and Jon Carrasco
Recorded at Redstar Studios in Los Angeles, CA
℗© 2021 Encore Endeavor 1 LLC under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
About Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., are the co-founders and lead singers of the original 5th Dimension, where they launched Champagne and Pop Soul Classics, including “Up, Up and Away,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Worst That Could Happen,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Sweet Blindness,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” and “One Less Bell to Answer.” After leaving the original 5th Dimension, Marilyn and Billy recorded “You Don’t Have to be a Star (to Be in My Show),” a chart topping number 1 record, which won them their 7th Grammy Award which won them their 7th Grammy Award and a network television variety show on CBS. “The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show” made TV history, with the couple being the first African-American married couple to have their own variety show.
Marilyn and Billy’s Television credits are inclusive of every decade from 1960 when they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show to their recent appearance on the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives. Their Television presence includes Solid Gold, Sonny & Cher, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams Show, Dolly Parton & Friends, Ed Sullivan, Specials, as well as “Love Boat,” “Jamie Foxx Show,” “Night Court,” “It Takes a Thief,” “The Fall Guy,” and “Punky Brewster,” to name a few.
Marilyn and Billy, who celebrated their 51st anniversary this past July (2020), are the authors of “Up, Up and Away, How we found love, faith and lasting marriage in the entertainment world.” The book details how they weathered opposite backgrounds, alcoholism, and the glamorous lifestyle and serves as an inspiration to fans and married couples alike. Their recent projects also include the 25th Anniversary Tour of the Colors of Christmas, with Peabo Bryson, Ruben Studdard and Jody Watley; the Mister Rogers Tribute Album with Sandy Patti, Lee Greenwood, Vanessa Williams, and Jon Secada, “Thank you Mister Rogers,” which won a Parents choice Award this past November; and performing at the Celebration of the Music of Jimmy Webb at Carnegie Hall.
Marilyn and Billy reside in Beverly Hills. They are both avid tennis fans, and can be seen regularly at the BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells, CA.
source: Victoria Collins – [email protected]
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