Biography
Maxine Weldon was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma, to Roosevelt Weldon, a liberal preacher, and Beatrice Jennings. The family relocated to Bakersfield, California in 1941, where she grew up immersed in the country music scene of that region. Following her parents' guidance, she trained and worked as a nurse — but love brought her to Honolulu, where she made an abrupt career pivot, auditioning at local clubs and abandoning nursing entirely for a life on stage. By 1968 she had settled into the San Francisco club circuit, performing at venues including LGBT-friendly spaces like the 524 Club.
Between 1970 and 1975, Weldon released four studio albums: Right On (Mainstream, 1970) and Chilly Wind (Mainstream, 1971) — both produced with Jazz Crusaders session players including Joe Sample, Plas Johnson, Blue Mitchell, and Earl Palmer — followed by Some Singin' (Monument, 1974), which peaked at #48 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, and Alone on My Own (Monument, 1975). Her style sits firmly at the intersection of soul, jazz, and blues, with an eclectic song selection that ranged from Randy Newman and James Taylor to Leonard Cohen. Though her studio output was modest, her records became highly regarded among rare soul collectors.
After stepping back from recording in 1975, Weldon continued performing live through the 1980s and 1990s and appeared in the Broadway production Black and Blue (1995–1997). She then co-starred with veteran blues singer Linda Hopkins and Mortonette Jenkins in Wild Women Blues, a celebratory revue honoring Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington, which premiered in Berlin in December 1997 and was captured on a live album recorded at the Cologne Philharmonie on New Year's Day 1999. Weldon and her siblings — actress/singer Ann Weldon and actor/playwright Charles Weldon — are recognized for their long advocacy for the LGBT community, performing at AIDS charities and community organizations well before such support was mainstream.
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Fun Facts
- She trained and worked as a registered nurse before becoming a professional singer — it was a romantic relationship that drew her to Honolulu and prompted the career switch.
- She grew up a country music fan in Bakersfield, California — one of America's country music capitals — before pivoting entirely to soul and jazz.
- Her 1971 album Chilly Wind included a cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye' — an unusual choice for a soul vocalist of that era.
- She and her sister Ann Weldon were advocates for the LGBT community well before it was commercially common, performing at East Bay Assistance Fund and Adopt-A-House AIDS charities during the height of the crisis in 1987.
- Her brother Charles Weldon (1940–2018) was a celebrated actor and served as artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company for 13 years.
Musical Connections
Key Collaborators
- Linda Hopkins - Co-starred in Wild Women Blues (1997–1999), an international touring production celebrating jazz, blues, and gospel legends [1997–1999]
- Plas Johnson - Saxophonist on the Right On (1970) sessions
- Earl Palmer - Drummer on the Chilly Wind (1971) sessions
Connection Network
External Links
Tags: #soul
References
Heard on WWOZ
Maxine Weldon has been played 4 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.