Rita Coolidge

Recording Artist

Most music fans have a favorite song recorded by two-time GRAMMY® award-winner Rita Coolidge.  Ms. Coolidge’s recording career has spanned several decades and includes pop, rock and jazz classics, and original works.

Ms. Coolidge’s commitment to social issues has reverberated through her music and her life.  Over the years she has given concerts, led rallies, and written songs for such issues as teen suicide, AIDS, and homelessness.  Her most heartfelt commitment remains to the Native American community.

Ms. Coolidge represented her nations—both Cherokee and the United States—while performing a tribute to Native American music and dance during the festivities of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.  In all her musical endeavors, she has remained true to a sense of spirit, of discovery, of meaningful contribution, and of paying respect to those who’ve come before her.

We have a relationship with music,” Ms. Coolidge notes, “and it represents our relationship with ourselves and with other people.  The importance of family is intertwined with our spiritual path.  In my nation, the Cherokee nation, women are revered as they age.  I am in the middle of the process, and I’m trying to embrace it with grace and dignity.  I am making a conscious effort to give back everything I’ve learned.”