Lisa

Lisa

    Lisa (Fredenthal-Lee) is a mystery, an enigma, a dot on the musical map of disco's history. Despite having worked with her and owning her entire catalogue of recordings I realized I knew very little about her. In fact I couldn't even remember her full name. After countless hours of sleuthing I tracked down her full name and realized that she had married longtime beau Robert Lee.
     Lisa, a talented and creative person, is an artist in the truest sense of the word. She had her first taste of noteriety as a graphic artist/designer and photographer doing fanzines in the late 1970's and early 1980's. In fact I have several that she sent me, "Ego #-1" is one of my favorites.
     Living in the San Francisco area at that time Lisa was exposed to the emerging disco music scene. In 1980 the gay music scene was about to explode in S.F. with Moby Dick Records, Megatone Records and Hot Tracks all starting up with local talent. John Hedges, a local superstar DJ, and Barry Blum somehow connected with Lisa. The result was her first single for Moby Dick Records. The green vinyl 12" single of "Jump Shout" came out in early 1982, but had been making the rounds since late 1981 on acetates. The uptempo tribute to the local bay-area club scene was an instant global hit. Though Lisa's voice was not powerful, it was unique and dressed up with synthesizers it made the name-dropping tune a classic.
     She followed that hit with a clever remake of the Isaac Hayes-David Porter Memphis classic "I Thank You." The song was released on Hot Tracks #-6, the label that had featured Lisa on their very first issue. Oddly enough Moby Dick didn't release a 12" single of the song, perhaps they were hoping to sell albums by with holding it?
     By 1983 work was finished on four additional tracks to round out a full album release. "Lisa" was released in the spring and featured Lisa's own self-portrait on the cover. Besides her first two hits the album included four more energy thrillers, each becoming a hit in their own right. The first 12" single released was "Rocket To Your Heart" backed with "Mandatory Love." "Rocket" had all the excuberance and excitement of "Jump Shout" and was eagerly lapped up by adoring dancers around the world. Shimmering synthesizers and explosions puncuated "Rocket" while "Mandatory Love" showed a harder-edged Lisa exploring newer ground.
     It was during the reign of these recordings that I had the chance to book Lisa into Chicago. Negotiations were handled through Ken Crivello. Ken was managing Lisa and her friend Paul Parker, Parker is NOT her brother as erroneously reported on other sites. When I picked Lisa up at the airport she was accompanied by Robert Lee, who I found out was at the time her boyfriend. Immediately I warmed to both her and Robert. That night she rocked the house and I marveled that the dynamo on stage was nothing like the real Lisa. Later over omelettes at 4:00 in the morning I discovered that both Lisa and Robert were two of the most genuinely down to earth people I had ever encounterd in the business. Their sincerity and warmth still lingers with me 20 years later.
     Both Disconet and Hot Tracks seized the album tracks and remixed them for disco DJ consumption. Wisely Moby Dick issued the nearly 10:00 Hot Tracks remix of "Rocket To Your Heart" on a 12" single. And then followed it with a double sided 12" single of the Disconet remix of "Sex Dance" and the Hot Tracks remix of "Invisible Love." Once again Lisa scaled the club charts making her one of the top disco acts of 1983-84.
     In 1985 there was upheaval at Moby Dick Records and personnel changes. For unknown reasons Lisa parted company with the label and the team that had helped her achieve success. Her next release was another cover tune, this time she tackled "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart." The results were stunning and proved to her critics that she was no one-hit wonder. And that with Robert as manager and Ian Anthony Stephens and her friend Paul Parker producing she could still have hits. The single was released on the Fantasia label, a label that was now home to several San Francisco acts, among them Marianna, Jo-Lo and Paul Parker.
     She quickly followed that with "Tempt Me," another favorite that she and Robert co-wrote. The 12" single was on Fantasia also and boasted the same producers as her previous hit. The cover featured a bouffanted Lisa looking radiant and happy.
     She would continue to record for Paul Parker and release four more tracks over the next few years. A sprightly cover of the Flirts/Bobby O. hit "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.," "Can't Stop The Feeling," "Thang Called Love" and "Doin' It" were all excellent recordings. They were successful to varying degrees, perhaps because of the variety of labels and their lack of promotional support.
    By 1987 her recording career was over. Disco lovers across the country still pine for a new Lisa recording but it seems that will never be. Life for Lisa has gone on. She eventually married Robert Lee. The two still reside in southern California and create art together. Lisa is involved in teaching art to school children and the happy couple have a company Recycled Art that does shows in museums and galleries. A recent showing in Santa Rosa ended on January 9, 2005 which featured their recycled art and her original canvas paintings.
     We honor Lisa here for all her creativity and personally for being such a sweet person. We hope that Lisa and Robert are happy, healthy and wish them both all the best in the future....."you didn't have to do what you did, but you did and I Thank You!"