Marge Raymond
About
Marge Raymond has had a continuous music career as a professional recording artist/performer from the age of 15. She signed to Coed Records at the famous Brill Building as part of Margie and the Formations. She charted a single in the Top 100, then signed to RCA as lead vocalist for the band Flame, which recorded two albums produced by Jimmy Iovine. Bruce Springsteen was very supportive. Steve Van Zandt arranged the horns and the late Clarence Clemons played sax.
“I contributed background vocals (with the group SuMagNa) on ELO’s ‘Face the Music’ album and toured with ELO supporting their hit singles ‘Evil Woman’ and ‘Strange Magic.’ I sang backing vocals on two Humble Pie albums with the late, great Steve Marriott. Lead vocals with Kicks, produced by the late Felix Pappalardi (Mountain, Eric Clapton). Lead vocalist for the legendary band Renegade, formed by Aerosmith’s drummer Joey Kramer.”
“Here are a few of the many albums that I sing background vocals on: ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ (Battle Axe), ‘Intergalactic Touring Band’ (Silver Lady) and ‘Crazy Lady’ (Helen Schneider). Helen recorded a song I cowrote, ‘Angry Times,’ from the first Flame album. It charted Top 40 in Europe. I also sing on Ricky Byrd’s ‘Clean Getaway’ album. On the album ‘Seven Ways ‘Til Sunday’ by Steve Augeri, former lead vocalist of Journey, I sing background vocals on ‘Unanswered Prayers.’”
“I joined the Collegiate Chorale and became part of the chorus for maestro Luciano Pavarotti at the Lincoln Center. Paul McCartney debuted his sold-out ‘Liverpool Oratorio’ at Carnegie Hall and used the Collegiate Chorale as his backing chorus. I’m currently singing with the Metropolitan Opera Community Choir, performing a concert in April 2023 at the Lincoln Center. I’ve been lead vocalist with Generation Gap Entertainment for the past 33 years. As a tour guide for the Green-Wood Cemetery for the past 16 years, I pay tribute maestro Leonard Bernstein by his gravesite with a song from ‘West Side Story.’ My life is singing in any capacity. I live for it. If not for recovery, none of the above would exist.”
