Her brothers sang gospel and formed a quartet with a friend.

Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz.

Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R & B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop-and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time.

Her music has been influenced by numerous genres, including pop, rock, gospel, R & B and soul, and her lyrics focus on themes of poverty, world hunger, and spirituality, with an emphasis on love and romance.

Her style was a hybrid of Brill Building-style New York pop, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, show tunes, rock and soul.

Her nightclub performances led to her initially being ostracised by some in the gospel community, as she would have to appear sometimes amid scantily clad showgirls.

Her professional adult ' career ' began when she was 18, when she approached Albertina Walker about joining The Caravans, one of the most popular gospel groups at that time.

Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles ; as well as her childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana.

Her mother, Mona ( née Raye ) was a nurse, talent manager, gospel singer, and vocal coach, and her father, Clifton Campbell, was a factory worker and singer.

Her character was a forty year old Christian woman saving herself for marriage, and the film featured gospel music performed by herself.

Peniston has acted in theatrical productions such gospel plays as The Wiz, Treat Her Like a Lady or When a Woman's Fed Up, and later also wrapped up shooting two independent films of the same genre ( both released on Maverick Spirit in 2005 ).

Her music contains strong influences of gospel urban contemporary music, Arabic classics, R & B, waltz and lately reggaeton.

Her musical influences include rock, blues, gospel, jazz, and classical.

Her parents are Pastor Elbert Clark and Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, a pioneering Detroit-based gospel choral director.

Her most recent gospel outing is the album Here in Me released in 2007 on Arrow Records.

Her uplifting house songs have charted seven times on Billboard's Hot Dance Music / Club Play with gospel / inspirational themed dance songs " Reap ( What You Sow )" (# 19 / 1996 ), " This Joy " (# 5 / 1998 ), " Issues " (# 12 / 2000 ), " Serious " (# 37 / 2003 ), " Took My Life " (# 2 / 2004 ; # 1 Club Play track in 2004 year-end chart ) and " Accept Me "(# 1 / 2005 ).

Her `` Rockabye Your Baby '' was as good as it can be done, and her really personal songs, like `` The Man That Got Away '' were deeply moving.

He would sometimes write songs with someone in mind, for instance, " I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face " from My Fair Lady was written with Rex Harrison in mind to complement his very limited vocal range.

A 2003 compilation album, Classic Masters, was released only in the US, while 2005 saw the release of the album She Will Have Her Way, a collection of cover versions of Crowded House, Split Enz, Tim Finn and Finn Brothers songs by Australasian female artists.

Following the success of the album She Will Have Her Way in 2005, a second album of cover versions of Finn Brothers songs, He Will Have His Way, was released on 12 November 2010.

Her first country single, " Dumb Blonde " ( one of the few songs during this era, that she recorded but did not write ), reached number twenty-four on the country music charts in 1967, followed the same year with Something Fishy, which went to number seventeen.

Her spiritual songs were referred to by contemporaries as " concerts in the Spirit.

Her 1986 album, The Power of Gloria Gaynor, was almost entirely composed of cover versions of other songs that were popular at the time.

Novello was portrayed in Robert Altman's 2001 film, Gosford Park, by Jeremy Northam, and several of his songs were used for the film's soundtrack, including " Waltz of My Heart ", " And Her Mother Came Too ", " I Can Give You the Starlight ", " What a Duke Should Be ", " Why Isn't It You?

Among Novello's well known songs are, " Keep the Home Fires Burning "; " Fold Your Wings "; " Shine Through My Dreams "; " Rose of England "; " I Can Give You the Starlight "; " And Her Mother Came Too "; " My Dearest Dear "; " The Land of Might-Have-Been "; " When I Curtsied to the King "; " We'll Gather Lilacs "; " Someday my Heart Will Awake "; " Yesterday "; " Waltz of My Heart "; " Why isn't It You "; " My Life Belongs to You "; " Fly Home Little Heart "; " Take Your Girl "; and " Primrose ".

Her recordings include many topical songs and material dealing with social issues.

Her two albums of live material, Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1 and its second counterpart, were unique in that, unlike most live albums, they contained only new songs, rather than established favorites.

Her album, Dark Chords on a Big Guitar ( 2003 ), features songs by composers half her age, while a November 2004 performance at New York City's Bowery Ballroom was recorded for a live release, Bowery Songs ( 2005 ).

Many of the songs from these shows are still sung and remembered, including " The Most Beautiful Girl in the World ", " My Romance ", " Little Girl Blue ", " I'll Tell the Man in the Street ", " There's a Small Hotel ", " Where or When ", " My Funny Valentine ", " The Lady is a Tramp ", " Falling in Love with Love ", " Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered ", and " Wait Till You See Her ".

Van Vliet also played the harmonica on two songs on Zappa albums: " San Ber ' dino " ( credited as " Bloodshot Rollin ' Red ") on One Size Fits All ( 1975 ) and " Find Her Finer " on Zoot Allures ( 1976 ).

Her success continued with True Colors in 1986, which included two Billboard Hot 100 top ten songs: the number one smash " True Colors " and " Change of Heart ," and earned two nominations at the 29th Grammy Awards.

Her performance, well received by critics, included such songs as " Jolly Coppers on Parade ", " Woman Is the Nigger of the World ", and The Smiths's " Ask " tied together with humorous monologues.

In 2006, Neil and Tim Finn were both honoured by a slew of women re-recording and re-interpreting a selection of their songs with the album She Will Have Her Way which featured artists performing Neil Finn's songs such as Kasey Chambers, Clare Bowditch, Boh Runga with her band Stellar *, Renée Geyer, Brooke Fraser, Holly Throsby, Sarah Blasko, Amiel and Natalie Imbruglia.

While famous for classic recordings from Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones and The Allman Brothers, recent hit songs such as " Before He Cheats " by Carrie Underwood and " I Loved Her First " by Heartland continue the city's musical legacy.

Her most famous songs are " J ' ai un probleme ", " L ' amour au Diapason ", " Parle moi de ta vie ", " Petit Rainbow ", " Bye Bye leroy Brown ", " Disco Queen ".

The new incarnation of the Misfits released their debut album American Psycho in 1997 and filmed music videos for the songs " American Psycho " and " Dig Up Her Bones ".

The song's title was inspired by a line in the song " Her Story " ( 1979 ) by Virgin label stablemates the Flying Lizards, about bands ' selling out ' their artistic principles for commercial success (" But you can still make money, by singing sweet songs of love ... this is a love song ").

Her first experience in music was playing Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Professor Longhair songs on piano that she heard on Japanese radio.

Her 2002 album, Sean-Nós Nua, marked a departure in that O ' Connor interpreted or, in her own words, " sexed up " traditional Irish folk songs, including several in the Irish language.

Her revue, with future TV pioneer Danny Thomas as her opening act, included songs from her films, performances on her musical saw ( a skill she had originally acquired for stage appearances in Berlin in the 1920s ), and a pretend " mindreading " act.

Her eyes were glazed as if she didn't hear or even see him.

Her blond hair was frowzy, her dress torn in several places, and her shoes were so completely worn out that they were practically no protection.

Her legs were the full, sexy kind, full bodied like a rare wine and just as tantalizing to the appetite ; ;

Her glance swung past the trailer where the two drivers were standing.

Her long thin arms moved in a slow rhythmical gesture over the family possessions which were placed in front of her.

Her quarters were on the right as you walked into the building, and her small front room was clogged with heavy furniture -- a big, round, oak dining table and chairs, a buffet, with a row of unclaimed letters inserted between the mirror and its frame.

Her thoughts were not discrete.

Her eyebrows were definite and heavy and formed two lines moving upward toward a high forehead and a great head of brown hair that fell to her shoulders.

Her services to the School for many years were of a very high character, and I have often thought that one of the buildings should be named for her ''.

Her eyes were bright with anticipation.

Her hesitation was only momentary and she hoped he didn't notice it, as she settled herself, asked quickly how Miss Jenny and the babies were getting on.

Her nose was higher of bridge, her complexion so pale as to be quite susceptible to sunburn, and the fish and vegetable diet of her forebears had given her teeth that were white and regular and strong.

Her bright eyes were twinkling.

Her hair never seemed to be in place and her skirts were never quite the correct length.

Her eyes were wild.

Her dark cool caresses were sweeter than any woman's ; ;

Her eyes were smiling, too, but so sadly, and there was tiredness and infinite wisdom in them.

Her extendibles were diverted, connected or augmented and the final, delicate-beyond-description brain taps were completed while Helva remained anesthetically unaware of the proceedings.

Her book titles, changed by American publishers, for example Ten Little Niggers to Ten Little Indians, were kept the same across the Atlantic, after bushels of fan mail.

Her two children by Philip II, Philip, count of Clermont ( died 1234 ), and Mary, who married Philip I of Namur, were legitimized by the pope in 1201 at the request of the king.

Her remaining children were raised between her, Livia Drusilla and Germanicus ’ mother Antonia Minor.

Her reputed last words, uttered as the assassin was about to strike, were " Smite my womb ", the implication here being she wished to be destroyed first in that part of her body that had given birth to so " abominable a son.