Doris Troy

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

American actress and singer (1937–2004)

title: "Doris Troy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1937-births", "2004-deaths", "american-soul-singers", "actresses-from-the-bronx", "american-people-of-barbadian-descent", "american-rhythm-and-blues-singers", "apple-records-artists", "deaths-from-emphysema", "20th-century-african-american-women-singers", "atlantic-records-artists", "toast-records-(uk-label)-artists", "entertainers-from-the-bronx", "northern-soul-musicians", "20th-century-american-singers", "american-expatriates-in-the-united-kingdom", "20th-century-american-women-singers", "the-sweet-inspirations-members"] description: "American actress and singer (1937–2004)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Troy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress and singer (1937–2004) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Doris Troy
image	Doris Troy.jpg
image_size	250px
birth_name	Doris Elaine Higginsen
alias	Doris Payne
birth_date
death_date
death_place	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
origin	New York City, U.S.
instrument	Vocals
genre	R&B, doo-wop
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years_active	1962–2004
label	Apple, Atlantic, People, Toast
associated_acts	Pink Floyd, Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Barbara Lewis
website
::

Doris Troy (born ** Doris Elaine Higginsen**; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was "Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963.

Life and career

She was born as Doris Elaine Higginsen, in the Bronx, the daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal minister. She later took her grandmother's name and grew up as Doris Payne. Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir. At age 16, she was working as an usherette at the Apollo where she was discovered by James Brown. Under the name Doris Payne, she began songwriting and earned $100 in 1960 for the Dee Clark hit "How About That".

Going into the recording industry, Troy worked as a backup vocalist for Atlantic Records alongside Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick. She was also part of the original lineup of The Sweet Inspirations in 1963, with Cissy Houston and the two Warwicks, who were Houston's nieces. Taking her stage name from Helen of Troy, Troy sang backup vocals for Solomon Burke, the Drifters, Houston, and Dionne Warwick, before she co-wrote and recorded "Just One Look" (the songwriting credits use the name Doris Payne). This song hit No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.

"Just One Look" was the only charting US hit for Troy. The song was recorded in 10 minutes in October 1962, with producer Buddy Lucas, as a demo for Atlantic Records. However, after Atlantic Records heard the demo, they decided not to re-record it, instead releasing it unchanged. The musicians included Ernie Hayes on organ, Wally Richardson on guitar, Bob Bushnell on bass, and Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums. The song has been covered by The Hollies, Faith, Hope & Charity, Major Lance, Linda Ronstadt, Bryan Ferry, Anne Murray, Klaus Nomi, and Harry Nilsson in a duet with Lynda Laurence. Troy's only foray into the UK Singles Chart, "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", peaked at No. 37 in December 1964.

In 1968, her single "I'll Do Anything" was released in the UK on the Toast label. It was reviewed by Bob "The Bear" Hite of Canned Heat in the "Blind Date" section of Melody Maker. Hite said that he wasn't a fan of records with big symphony backings.

After moving to London in 1969, she was signed by The Beatles to their Apple Records label, and released the Doris Troy album the following year, co-produced by Troy and George Harrison. Troy worked in the UK throughout the 1970s, appearing at Ronnie Scott's Club and recording a live album, The Rainbow Testament. Neither The Rainbow Testament nor her People Records album, Stretching Out, sold well.

As her solo career peaked, she continued to sing back-up for multiple artists and bands. She contributed vocals to The Rolling Stones' 1968 song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". In addition, she also sang for Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Edgar Broughton, George Harrison, Johnny Hallyday, Vivian Stanshall, Dusty Springfield, Nick Drake, and Junior Campbell.

In 1974, Troy moved from England back to the United States, where she played casinos and nightclubs.

Mama, I Want to Sing is a stage musical based on her life, and was co-written with her sister, Vy Higginsen, a popular New York City radio personality. It ran for 1,500 performances at the Heckscher Theatre in Spanish Harlem. Troy played her own mother, Geraldine. Chaka Khan played her aunt in the London production, as did Deniece Williams. Mama, I Want to Sing! was also made into a motion picture, starring Ciara, Patti LaBelle, and Hill Harper, which was released on DVD in 2012.

Troy died from emphysema at her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 67.

Discography

Studio albums

Sings Just One Look & Other Memorable Selections (1963)
Doris Troy (1970)
Rainbow Testament (1972)
Stretching Out (1974)

Singles

::data[format=table] | Year | Title | Peak chart positions | US Pop | US R&B | UK | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1963 | "Just One Look" | 10 | 3 | ― | | | "What'cha Gonna Do About It" | 102 | 21 | 37 | | | | "Tomorrow Is Another Day" | 118 | ― | ― | | | | 1964 | "Please Little Angel" | 128 | ― | ― | | | 1965 | "Heartaches" | ― | ― | ― | | | "I'll Do Anything (He Wants Me to Do)" | ― | ― | ― | | | | 1970 | "Ain't That Cute" | ― | ― | ― | | | 1973 | "Baby I Love You" | ― | ― | ― | | | 1974 | "Stretchin' Out" | ― | ― | ― | | | 1976 | "Black Star" | ― | ― | ― | | | 1977 | "Can't Hold On" | ― | ― | ― | | | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | | | | | | ::

References

(February 20, 2004). "Obituary: Doris Troy".
Sisario, Ben. (February 19, 2004). "Doris Troy, Pop Singer Whose Life Inspired a Show, Dies at 67". [[The New York Times]].
(February 20, 2004). "Doris Troy". The Telegraph.
"Doris Troy".
Sweeting, Adam. (February 20, 2004). "Obituary: Doris Troy". The Guardian.
"Doris Troy – Apple Records". applerecords.com.
(February 20, 2004). "Doris Troy, 67; 'Just One Look' Singer". Los Angeles Times.
"Cissy Houston's Biography".
Doll, Susan. (2009). "Elvis for dummies". Wiley Pub.
"Doris Troy". AllMusic.
"Doris Troy | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links".
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Let The Drums Speak!, 2014 pages 69–70.
Roberts, David. (2006). "British Hit Singles & Albums". Guinness World Records Limited.
''Melody Maker'', September 21, 1968 - [https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Melody-Maker/60s/68/Melody-Maker-1968-0921.pdf Page 29 BLIND DATE where the stars single out the new singles, BOB 'THE BEAR' HITE of CANNED HEAT, DORIS TROY: " I'll Do Anything" (Toast).]
"Doris Troy Page".
"Doris Troy {{!}} American singer".
(February 19, 2004). "R&B star Doris Troy dead at 67". CNN.
(2004). "Troy, Doris {{!}} Encyclopedia.com".
"Doris Troy – Credits". AllMusic.
Meade, Bazil. (February 26, 2013). "A Boy, A Journey, A Dream". Monarch Books.
"MAMA, I WANT TO SING! Ciara, Patti LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield & Hill Harper Hit All the Right Notes on DVD February 14". prnnewswire.com.
"Doris Troy Discography". AllMusic.
"Doris Troy Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::