Book review: Delta Lady

Singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge was at her peak in the 1970s. Though her marriage to Kris Kristofferson was marred by his boozing, the recent murder of her sister has hurt her most, says Hannah Stephenson.

SHE was the original ‘Delta Lady’, the Cherokee singer with long, dark hair, chunky-buckled belts, leather trousers, and Native American jewellery.

Rita Coolidge, daughter of a Cherokee Baptist minister and Cherokee-Scottish mother, was catapulted into the music industry in the late 1960s during a time of huge creativity. She became one of the most sought-after backing singers in the business, touring and recording with Joe Cocker; Eric Clapton, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, among others.