American soul and HI-NRG singer Barbara Pennington managed to produce a couple of hits on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 70s and early 80s before entirely vanishing from the public eye in the early 90s. Born in Chicago in the 50s, Pennington was discovered by Danny Leake and introduced to British producer and record executive Ian Levine, who had flown to the US in search of new talent for his company Voltafine Productions. She made her official debut via Island Records with the UK exclusive single “Running in Another Direction” (1976), which flopped due to lack of promotion from the label. After a successful UK tour, Pennington switched labels to United Artists Records and dropped Midnight Ride, her studio debut, in 1978. “Twenty Four Hours a Day,” one of the album’s singles, reached Number 4 on Billboard’s Club Play Chart, and “You Are the Music in Me” managed to get into the Top 20. In 1985, she changed record labels once again and signed with Record Shack, who released Out of the Darkest Night that same year. The LP was better received in Europe, where she managed to produce several charting hits such as “On a Crowded Street,” “American Boy,” and “Don’t Stop the World.” In the following decade, Pennington opted for early retirement from the music industry, with the release of the compilation The Very Best of Barbara Pennington as her last official offering in 1995.
