Linda Clifford & Curtis Mayfield

Brooklyn vocalist Linda Clifford parlayed a jazz background, booming voice, and sassy manner into disco and R&B/urban contemporary stardom in the '70s and '80s. A former Miss New York State, she sang with the Jerico Jazz Singers and led her own trio in the '60s before switching to R&B and pop. She made a little noise on Paramount, then signed with Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label. Clifford got her first hit in 1978 with "Runaway Love," a song that peaked at number three on the R&B charts. The highly stylized "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was a club favorite that same year. He...