{{short description|American singer and actress}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Barbara Randolph | image = Barbara Randolph edited.jpg | alt = refer to caption | caption = Barbara Randolph, circa 1962 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|05|05}} | birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2002|07|15|1942|05|05}} | death_place = South Africa | occupation = Singer, actress | years_active = 1951–1989 | label = Motown Records<br>Soul Records<br>Nightmare Records<br>Spectrum Records }}
'''Barbara Randolph''' (May 5, 1942{{spaced ndash}}July 15, 2002) was an American soul singer and actress who recorded for Motown Records in the 1960s.
==Biography== She was born in Detroit and was adopted by the actress Lillian Randolph,<ref name=goldberg>[http://www.uncamarvy.com/RedCaps/redcaps.html Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks: The Red Caps]</ref> who appeared in ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and many other movies. Her show business career began{{spaced ndash}}under the name Barbara Ann Sanders, having taken the name of Lillian's second husband<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2L8DAAAAMBAJ&q=lillian+randolph&pg=PA15|title=Actress Lillian Randolph Divorces Mate|date=December 17, 1953|publisher=Jet|access-date=October 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Divorce">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbsDAAAAMBAJ&q=lillian+randolph&pg=PA18|title=Radio Actress Lillian Randolph Seeks Divorce|date=March 5, 1953|publisher=Jet|access-date=October 17, 2010}}</ref> – when she was eight years old, playing the part of Tanya in the 1953 feature film ''Bright Road''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 29, 1960 |title=Jet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fq8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62&dq=barbara+randolph+%2522bright+road%2522&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjs2vq2ubmSAxVS5MkDHRpZNtEQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=barbara%2520randolph%2520%2522bright%2520road%2522&f=false |access-date=February 1, 2026 |magazine=JET |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |page=62 |language=en}}</ref>
In 1957, both her mother and she joined Steve Gibson's vocal group, The Red Caps, as singers. For a number of years, a common but mistaken belief held that her mother and Steve were siblings, making him Randolph's uncle (although she may have affectionately referred to him as such). James "Jay" Price, a member of the Red Caps from 1952 to 1958, explained that Steve and Lillian only jokingly called each other "sister" and "brother", but they were not related.<ref>Goldberg, Marv – interview with James "Jay" Price on October 18, 2013.</ref> The story apparently started with a December 31, 1953, article in ''JET'' that referred to them as siblings, in Major Robinson's gossip column—which often carried the most outrageous (and unverified) claims from press agents. Further, the 1910 United States Census shows Lillian's mother was already 50, far too old to have given birth to Steve Gibson on October 12, 1914.<ref name=goldberg/><ref>{{cite book|title=New York Beat|date=December 31, 1953|publisher=Jet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4L8DAAAAMBAJ&q=lillian+randolph+intitle%3Ajet&pg=PA64|access-date=October 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sGocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YU8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6443,4779648&dq=barbara+randolph&hl=en|title=Sammy Davis Shows Class at Civic Arena|author=Ward, Henry|date=April 11, 1967|publisher=The Pittsburgh Press|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zzZOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n0YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6441,1104230&dq=barbara+randolph&hl=en|title=San Juan Entertainment-Steve Gibson's Back|author=Brown, George F.|date=January 18, 1967|publisher=The Virgin Island Daily News|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref>
Randolph appeared with her mother in Gibson's nightclub acts, using her mother's maiden (and stage) name of Randolph in 1957, continuing to appear with the Red Caps on various occasions in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pnpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BecDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1294,3820137&dq=lillian+randolph&hl=en|title=Lillian and Barbara Randolph at Allen's Tin Pan Alley|date=July 29, 1958|publisher=The Spokesman-Review|access-date=October 22, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Film Boost For Star's Daughter">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzgDAAAAMBAJ&q=lillian+randolph+intitle%3Ajet&pg=PA55|title=Film Boost For Star's Daughter|editor-last=Robinson|editor-first=Louie|date=May 23, 1968|publisher=Jet|access-date=October 10, 2010}}</ref>
Barbara Randolph first recorded as a solo singer for RCA Records in 1960.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fq8DAAAAMBAJ&q=lillian+randolph+intitle%3Ajet&pg=PA62|title=Barbara Randolph Seeks Record Stardom|date=December 29, 1960|publisher=Jet|access-date=October 10, 2010}}</ref> In 1964, she joined The Platters, replacing singer Zola Taylor, but left after a year and one album (''The New Soul of the Platters'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uncamarvy.com/Platters/platters.html|title=Marv Goldberg's R & B Notebook-The Platters|author=Goldberg, Marv|publisher=Goldberg, Marv|access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref>
She continued to work as an actress, taking the part of Dorothy in the 1967 movie ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner''.<ref name="Film Boost For Star's Daughter"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-OsmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-QIGAAAAIBAJ&pg=748,2631945&dq=barbara+randolph&hl=en|title=Star's pretty daughter adds 'hip' to new film|date=December 16, 1967|publisher=The Afro American|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref> That same year, Randolph signed with Motown Records with the intention of having her act as first a standby and then a replacement for Florence Ballard in The Supremes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ribowsky |first=Mark |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Supremes/QF0sDRMggR4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=barbara%2520randolph |title=The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal |date=2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-306-81586-7 |language=en|pages=267–268; 281}}</ref><ref name=supersoulsisters>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 2009 |title=Barbara Randolph: The Collection (2002)...plus |url=https://supersoulsisters.blogspot.com/2009/06/barbara-randolph-collection-2002-plus.html |access-date=February 1, 2026 |website=Classic and Rare Soul Sisters 50s - 70s}}</ref> Ballard was instead replaced by Cindy Birdsong, and Randolph released two singles for the company on its subsidiary Soul label – "I Got a Feeling"/"You Got Me Hurtin' All Over" (Soul 35038), followed a year later by a version of "Can I Get a Witness" (Soul 35050), using the same B-side.<ref>[http://www.seabear.se/Soul.html Soul Records discography], seabear.se; accessed January 25, 2018.</ref>
Neither record was commercially successful, but Randolph was sufficiently highly regarded to tour with Marvin Gaye as a replacement for Tammi Terrell after Terrell became ill.<ref name=soulwalking>[http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Respect2002.html Barbara Randolph profile], Soulwalking.co.uk; accessed January 25, 2018.</ref>
Randolph also toured with The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Hugh Masekela as part of the "Motown Sound" show in 1968.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QtFFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i70MAAAAIBAJ&pg=2305,5330712&dq=barbara+randolph&hl=en|title=Motown Sound? The Answer is at the Carousel|date=May 29, 1968|publisher=The Upland News|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref> In 1969 and 1970, Randolph issued two singles on the LHI label: "Woman to That Man" and "Miracle on 19th Street", but neither got beyond the status of promotional recordings.<ref>[https://www.discogs.com/artist/142219-Barbara-Randolph Barbara Randolph discography], Discogs; accessed January 25, 2018.</ref> Randolph focused on entertaining US forces in Vietnam during 1970, returning to paid performances the next year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tIIyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jrcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2155,2769879&dq=barbara+randolph&hl=en|title=Miami Among New Disc Capitals|author=Campbell, Tom|date=February 7, 1971|publisher=The Palm Beach Post|access-date=March 17, 2011}}</ref>
Randolph married Eddie Singleton, who had been married to Berry Gordy's ex-wife, Raynoma Liles Gordy. They opened a production company together, and she retired from singing, except to re-record a version of "I Got A Feeling" for the Nightmare label in the UK in 1989.
By that time, the track – and other recordings by Randolph during her brief recording career – had achieved considerable popularity in Britain on the Northern soul dance scene, and since the 1980s has been reissued on several compilation albums. A collection of her recordings, most of which dated from 1969, but had never been issued, was released by Spectrum Records in 2003.<ref name=supersoulsisters/><ref>[http://www.discogs.com/Barbara-Randolph-The-Collection/release/802896 ''Barbara Randolph: The Collection''], Discogs.com; accessed January 25, 2018.</ref>
==Death== Barbara Randolph died from cancer in South Africa in 2002, at the age of 60.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1953|| ''Bright Road'' || Tanya Hamilton || |- |1967|| ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' || Dorothy || |- |1969|| ''Cactus Flower'' || Cigarette Girl || Uncredited, (final film role) |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0709872}}
{{The Platters}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, Barbara}} Category:1942 births Category:2002 deaths Category:20th-century African-American women singers Category:20th-century American women singers Category:20th-century American singers Category:American soul singers Category:Motown artists Category:Singers from Houston Category:Deaths from cancer in South Africa Category:Northern soul musicians Category:The Platters members Category:American film actresses Category:20th-century American actresses Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)