R&BOBIT

Lyn Collins, a favourite amongst sampling acts for nearly two decades, has died. Collins made her name as a member of the James Brown Revue, where she was known as the Female Preacher. Her entry to the team came through marriage - the fourteen year-old had got married to a local Texas promoter for the JBR and it was through him she got to audition for Brown.

Her first solo album came in 1972, Think (About It) and was followed in 1975 by Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me By Now. These two albums would be plundered by hip hop acts looking for a sample - first Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock took a snatch for It Takes Two; then Ludacris, Public Enemy and Schoolly D have made use of her distinctive voice.

Her death at the age of 56 came as a shock; she'd recently been touring in Europe and had been planning a US tour. The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia. Lyn Collins died at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

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