Nancy LaMott (1951-1994) was a singer, much admired in New York’s cabaret scene. Born in Midland, Michigan, her first semi-professional experience was singing with her father’s dance band. LaMott suffered from health issues throughout her too short life, having been diagnosed at 17 years old with Crohn’s Disease.
After a short spell in California in the late 1970s, holding down an office job, while performing in night clubs during the evenings, LaMott moved to New York in 1979 and became a fixture in the cabaret circuit throughout the 1980s. She became a favourite of her songwriting peers, including David Zippel, Alan Menken and David Friedman, both of whose songs she would go onto perform.
LaMott died at 43 of cancer. In his obituary for the New York Times, renowned cabaret critic Stephen Holden pinpointed his view of LaMott’s talent – her “unadorned, heartfelt interpretations of songs epitomized the best of what could be called an all-American style of traditional pop singing.”
Key Albums:
Come Rain Or Come Shine (Midder 1992)