If someone had said back in 1970, that 52 years later I’d be writing and recording my second album for an American record label I’d have told them they were crazy. But here I am doing just that, and as I look back on my career I can’t believe what an amazing adventure it’s been.

I left my Dad’s hairdressing shop in Sparkbrook, Birmingham to join soul band, Body & Soul, which then became The Cissy Stone Band, one of the most in-demand bands playing clubs the length and breadth of the UK. We also toured with two soul greats, Irma Franklin (Aretha’s sister) and the sensational Millie Jackson, both of whom became great friends.

Then in 1976 we won the talent show New Faces, and I was signed by Decca Records.

My first single release was called ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ which although not a huge hit at the time is now a Northern Soul classic.

In 1977 I was packed off to the States to record with such incredible musicians as Steve Gadd, George Duke and Ray Parker Jr. On the TWA 747 flight over I sat upstairs next to Cary Grant who introduced me to my first proper Martini complete with an olive! Then later whilst staying at the Hyatt on Sunset Boulevard I had breakfast with DeForest Kelley (Bones from Star Trek) and a fellow Decca artiste Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy.

On returning to the UK the band continued to work with a new keyboard player from Coventry called Jerry Dammers. He left in 1979 to create the now legendary Two-Tone Records with his band The Specials, and to this day fondly recalls his time working with me.

It was whilst I was in Ostend in 1981 working for an agent called Freddy Cousaert I was introduced to one of my heroes, Marvin Gaye who at the time was writing ‘Sexual Healing”. Later that night, unannounced, he snuck up on stage and played piano with me for the second set. An experience I’ll never forget.

Eventually the band split, and I worked in cabaret, playing theatres across the UK and travelling to the Middle East with Cannon & Ball.

Then one night in 1987 I was playing a small club in Manchester called Napoleon’s. The bass player in the band was Des Tong from Sad Café and it turned out he was looking for a singer to record a track he was producing. We became great friends and went on to write and record an album together, which through no fault of our own was never released. (More about that shortly.)

Since then we have performed together in an incredible variety of venues, including the Royal Albert Hall.

By chance just before ‘Lockdown’ in 2020, Des was introduced to an American record label, Fervor Records who specialise in retro recordings and when they heard our songs they flipped and signed our catalogue, releasing my album Stonewall in November of that year.

More amazingly one of our songs, ‘Comin or Goin’ was used in an American TV show called ‘Work In Progress’ on the Showtime channel.

And so here I am, finishing off the final couple of tracks for a new album.

And remember: It just goes to show, you never know what’s around the corner.

Cissy x