Dorothy Morrison - Brand New Day

Another Bay Area girl with a big voice. I don't think anyone who was around in the 70's will ever forget the first time they heard the full 50 member Northern California Youth Choir erupt from behind the lead vocal on Edwin Hawkins' Oh Happy Day. I thought that our car radio speakers were about to blow through the dashboard! That sublime, controlled lead vocal in the midst of the un-bridaled joy on that groundbreaking song was one Dorothy Combs Morrison. I'll pull out that original album soon but as soon as the song went national, Buddah launched Dorothy's solo career with this album. The music is a lovely Gospel/Soul mix that rings with the optimism of the era.

"Dorothy Combs Morrison was born in Longview, Texas, on May 8, 1944. The seventh child of ten, Dorothy showed early signs of her talents. She began singing at the age of 13 and released her first single "I Am Free", while singing with her siblings as 'The Combs Family'. Dorothy's continued exposure while appearing with her family at church events led to her talents being noticed by others in the San Francisco and Oakland Bay Area.

In the 1960s she then joined the Edwin Hawkins singers and was the lead vocalist on the Grammy Award winning, Hall of Fame Hymn, "Oh Happy Day". She toured with Edwin Hawkins, Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, and Delaney and Bonnie, among others. She appeared on TV shows including The Carol Burnett Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as well as Soul Train and Dance Party.

Dorothy's appearance at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival is seen in the film Celebration at Big Sur; with the Combs Sisters, she sang "All God's Children Got Soul", her only solo song to make the Billboard Top 100.

At home in the East Bay area, Dorothy performed for the Mayor of Oakland in the City Square and in 2002 was honored and awarded with the key to the city of Oakland." wikipedia