She is widely recognized as one of the most original American songwriters who combined popular music, soul, jazz, gospel and confessional pop. Born in The Bronx, New York, on October 18, 1947, she developed a unique style and left an impressive legacy of songs. Although some people got acquainted with the songs created by this songwriter through cover versions performed by other artists, there were lots of others that appreciated both Nyro herself and her recordings due to innovative chord progressions and highly personal texts. Whether she produced music just for herself or intended to make it successful on the pop market, her musical works reflected a unique artistic identity and expanded the sound of popular music.
Early life
Having grown up in a musical atmosphere of New York, she adopted various music traditions that surrounded her. Not only street noise and church music but also Tin Pan Alley style greatly influenced Laura Nyro, the person who fell in love with the piano in childhood. Moreover, the way this young woman played was theatrical enough to make her distinguishable in that way. While Laura was beginning to build her own artistic career, she had already created numerous small pieces on the piano in the form of songs.
What made her special was that, despite being commercial, Nyro was quite original in her works. This songwriting style combined catchy tunes and melodies with something unpredictable and challenging in itself. She was a person of the time when many songs performed on radio were created by means of various formulas; Laura liked to surprise her listeners instead with her unexpected turns of melody and text.
Songwriting breakthrough
The debut album, "More Than a New Discovery", released in 1967, was the starting point of her reputation as an unconventional songwriter whose works did not copy others' but were full of drama. The first album presented such features as dramatic chords, original harmonic shifts and lyrics that could remind natural dialogue. Almost immediately, some of her creations started being performed on radio through cover versions by The 5th Dimension, who turned 'Wedding Bell Blues', 'Stoned Soul Picnic' and 'Sweet Blindness' into hits. 'And When I Die' recorded by Blood, Sweat & Tears and 'Eli's Coming' by Three Dog Night could also be considered successful songs. Also, Nyro gained additional popularity thanks to the performance of Barbra Streisand, who sang 'Stoney End'.
Moreover, she managed to develop this reputation as a performer through the songs she performed on her albums. Nyro's voice differed from others because of her original and highly expressive manner of singing. Moreover, each performance of Laura's sounded very individual because each of them reflected personal experience and emotions. Therefore, the singer's albums looked like private worlds, full of various emotions, which many people really appreciated despite the complexity of the lyrics and melodies.
In songs performed with her own voice, Laura Nyro expanded the repertoire presented on her albums 'Eli and the Thirteenth Confession' and 'New York Tendaberry' in 1968-69. Critics appreciated the original style that allowed her to stretch the limits of popular music forms, which was also noticed by other musicians. Although her works were often characterized as impromptu, every song was performed in accordance with the form, and thus they proved the author's high level of craftsmanship.
One more feature that has allowed Nyro's music to be so popular for decades is the balance between sophistication and singularity. Despite her complex melodies sounding like a kind of impromptu, she managed to create very catchy songs, and even if some lyrics seem conversational, they have quite good structure, which allowed different artists to perform them. Nyro understood the principles of both writing for one vocalist and for several ones, and this gave such popular songs as 'Wedding Bell Blues' and 'Stoned Soul Picnic' their buoyant dynamics. Even when writing songs that were quite complex, she knew perfectly well how to create a good chorus.
Later years and legacy
Another Laura album, 'Gonna Take a Miracle', produced in cooperation with Labelle, showed her interest in soul, standards and oldies. The mentioned work proves her talent for reinterpreting some songs; this quality could be observed throughout her entire career, and it is one of the main features defining her character. She could combine writing and performing songs by improvising in a recording studio, and thanks to this skillfulness, Nyro's music became so diverse.
Through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the artist continued her activity, creating 'Smile' in 1976, 'Nested' in 1978, 'Mother's Spiritual' in 1984 and 'Walk the Dog and Light the Light' in 1993. Although these works were not as famous as the songs Laura created for others, they helped deepen the image of a unique artist who listened only to her own inner calling. Her fame may be quite modest, but her influence was huge.
Laura Nyro died of ovarian cancer on April 8, 1997, and the news of her death convinced musicians of the importance of her role in American popular culture, although she had not been properly recognized while alive. Later honours, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame, reflect this recognition. The best-known works of this artist can tell much about this unique songwriter, who was a fearless, expressive and skillful singer.