Sandra Sully (songwriter)

Sandra Sully is a former member of the all-female band from the 1970s The Love Machine and a songwriter.

The Love Machine era

In the very diverse landscape of music genres of the 1970s, The Love Machine was an all-female band that "specialized" mainly in funk music.[1] The members of the band were Bernice Givens, Kathy Bradley, Mary Hopkins, Paulette Gibson, Renee Gentry, Sandra Sully and Sheila Dean.[2] "The Love Machine" performed in Europe, Asia, and Africa for many years recording with and releasing albums under many labels, such as Arista, Buddah, le trois Musketeers, Phillips, Barclay, and Motown. Warren "Pete" Moore of the Miracles wrote the song "I'm Just A Love Machine" for the all girl group when they joined Motown but the Miracles were encouraged to release the song on themselves instead. The song "I'm Just a Love Machine" went on to be the biggest selling hit single of the Miracles' career.

Songwriter

Sandra Sully co-wrote Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now".[3] In 2006 she was credited as a co-writer of Mariah Carey's Grammy Award–winning song "We Belong Together" which incorporated part of "If You're Think You're Lonely Now". Sandra received a Grammy certificate for "We Belong Together" and the BMI "Song of the Decade" award. The album "The Emancipation of MiMi" sold over ten million copies worldwide. ref. 2006 Grammy Award winners</ref>[4]

Sully also co-wrote "Angel" and "Sometimes" for Anita Baker, as well as "Just Ain't Good Enough" for Johnnie Taylor. She was previously a member of The Love Machine, a 1970s international all-female singing and dancing group.[5] Sandra co-wrote songs for the soundtrack of the movie Getting Over featuring The Love Machine. [6][7] Sandra also co-wrote music for the sound track of the film "East of Hope Street" by Tim Russ of Star Trek fame and Professor Nate Thomas, head of the California State Northridge film school which won many awards of the independent film festival circuit. ("East of Hope Street" won Best Urban Drama at the 1998 New York International Independent Film Festival, First Place Cross Cultural Film at the 1998 Black Film Makers Hall of Fame Festival, the Jury Award at the 1999 Hollywood Black Festival and was nominated for the Imagen Award at the Spanish Image Awards. )"East of Hope Street" has been used for training of child protective service workers.

Sandra's songs have been covered by K-Ci and JoJo, John Legend, Monica, Style Council, Dennis Taylor, Gina Thompson, Lynn White, Impromp2, Stacey Barthe, Maysa, BJ The Chicago Kid, Lalah Hathaway, Steele, Macy Kate, Rex Rideout, Floyd Taylor, Debra McCray Hill, Dante Lewis, Eye Q, Gianluca Porro, , Ann Cain and Chris Brown. Many of Sandra's songs have been and continue to be sampled by such artists as Jaheim, 50 cent, Kenny Lattimore, Jords, Judson Mancebo, Macklemore, Shei Atkins, Noreaga, August Alsina, Dom Kennedy, The What, Slim Thug, The Grumpy Old Man, Struka, Young Gully, I- Octane and Kirk Knight, Fjarde Varlden, Mala Bizta, Kwest Tha Madd Lad, Trevon Pleasant, Mad-Fam, Dillon Cooper, Ashford Lights, Ni/Co, Herzberuhrt and Miguel Escueta. "Angel" was covered by Kitty Corbin and the Quiet Storm Band. Lalah Hathaway received a Grammy in 2017 for her performance of "Angel" and a Grammy in 2017 for her CD Lalah Hathaway Live which included "Angel". Lalah Hathaway Live which was recorded at the Troubador in Hollywood, California, won a Grammy for the Best R & B Album of 2017. Sandra Sully received Grammy certificates for her participation. "How Can I Get Next to You" written by Sandra Sully and a former co-writer the late Patrick Moten was recorded by Chapter 8 who still perform in Europe. "Sometimes" by Sully and Moten was recorded by Anita Baker and covered by Jo Ceeza, daughter of reggae artist Levi Roots.

Sandra has received gold records for The Best of Anita Baker and The Making of a Man by Jaheim, and "Love in the Future" by John Legend. "Style Council" the self entitled album by the British Rock Group with Paul Weller also earned a gold record. The soundtrack for Jason's Lyric which included "If You Think You're Lonely Now" earned a platinum record. Sandra Sully has also written three novels, What Price the Carrot? from I Universe Press and The Entertainer and Perhaps My Sister is Free on Friday from Outskirts Press. Sandra's poem "And Then We Were One" was featured in the Strawberry Saxifrage published by the National Society of Published Poets. Sandra's poem "A Visit to Goree'" a tribute to the "Door of Return" in Senegal was featured in the Orlando Sentinel and was shared with President Barack Obama after his trip there.

Sandra Sully is a member of the Broadcast Music Inc, The Society of Composers & Lyricists, Harry Fox Agency, (SONA) Songwriters of North America, National Music Publishers Association and a voting member of the Recording Academy.

Sandra Sully holds a bachelor of science degree in Psychology and a master's degree in social work from Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Sandra Sully studied Television Production at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California.

References
  1. 1975 Funky Style - The Love Machine
  2. The Love Machine on Discogs
  3. BMI Website, Songwriter Sandra Sully Archived 2004-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Kipnis, Jill (January 14, 2006). "Best Song Noms From All Over", Billboard 118 (2): 49–50.
  5. Love Machine 1975
  6. (December 13, 1979). "The Love Machine Comes Home", Los Angeles Sentinel, p. B6A.
  7. (September 9, 1978). "Love Machine: Ex Beauty Contestants Get Together", New Pittsburgh Courier, p. 18.


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