Laura Ann Popular Books

Laura Ann Biography & Facts

Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. Branigan's "Gloria" was a cover of a song written by Italian singer-songwriters Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit "Self Control", which was released by Italian singer and songwriter Raf the same year. Both "Gloria" and "Self Control" were successful in the United Kingdom, making the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Seeing her greatest level of success in the 1980s, Branigan's other singles included the Top 10 hit "Solitaire" (1983), the U.S. Adult Contemporary Chart number one "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (1983), the Australian No. 2 hit "Ti amo" (1984), her return to the top 40 "The Power of Love" (1987), and "Shattered Glass" (1987), which reached the top 15 of the U.S. dance chart. Her most successful studio album was 1984's platinum-selling Self Control. She also contributed songs to motion picture and television soundtracks, including the Grammy and Academy Award-winning Flashdance soundtrack (1983), the Ghostbusters soundtrack (1984), and Miami Vice (1984). In 1984, she won the Tokyo Music Festival with the song "The Lucky One". Her chart success began to wane as the decade closed and after her last two studio albums Laura Branigan (1990) and Over My Heart (1993) garnered little attention, she generally retired from public life for the rest of the 1990s. She returned to performing in the early 2000s, most notably appearing as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical Love, Janis. As she was recording new music and preparing a comeback to the music industry, she died at her home in August 2004 from a previously undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm.Branigan and her music saw renewed popularity and public interest in 2019 in the U.S. after "Gloria" was adopted by the NHL's St. Louis Blues as their unofficial victory song while they completed a historic mid-season turnaround to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, leading to the song entering ice hockey lore as an "unlikely championship anthem". Branigan's legacy manager and representative Kathy Golik embraced the trend and traveled to St. Louis to publicly represent Branigan among the Blues fanbase during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, later stating her belief that Branigan and "Gloria" "will forever be intertwined" with the Blues and the city of St. Louis. Biography 1952–1970: Early life Laura Ann Branigan was born on July 3, 1952, in Brewster, New York, near New York City, the fourth of five children born to Irish-American parents Kathleen O'Hare Branigan and James Branigan Sr., an account executive and mutual funds broker; they later separated. Her younger brother William "Billy" Branigan, who was also a musician, played guitar in Branigan's backing band early in her career and later contributed to her 1993 album Over My Heart as a co-producer, arranger, guitarist, bassist and backing vocalist, in addition to co-writing the track "Over You" with his sister. He died of a heart attack on March 10, 2022, aged 65. Branigan's maternal grandparents were William O'Hare Jr. (son of William John O'Hare and Agnes B. O'Connor) and Mary Conway (daughter of Francis J. Conway and Mary Teresa McGuiness).Branigan was raised in Armonk, New York, and as a child attended a Catholic school in nearby Chappaqua. She attended Byram Hills High School from 1966 to 1970, starring in the high school musical The Pajama Game in her senior year.Between 1970 and 1972, Branigan attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and supported herself by working as a waitress. 1972–1980: Career beginnings In 1972, Branigan met acoustic guitarist Walker Daniels and his future wife Sharon Storm, and acoustic guitarist Chris Van Cleave, forming the folk-rock band Meadow. In 1973 the group, with bass player Bob Valdez, released their debut album The Friend Ship, featuring the singles "When You Were Young", and "Cane and Able", which featured the hook line "Throw away your cane and you are able". The record was not properly promoted and never re-released. The band broke up, after which Walker Daniels committed suicide. Branigan preferred not to discuss her involvement with Meadow publicly. During the years after Meadow broke up, Branigan had various jobs, including a stint as one of Leonard Cohen's backup singers for his European tour in April–August 1976.Branigan met attorney Larry Ross Kruteck (1936–1996) on St. Patrick's Day March 17, 1978 at a party in Manhattan and got married after almost nine months of dating December 8, 1978. Larry died of colon cancer on June 15, 1996.In 1979, after a chance meeting with manager Sid Bernstein on her return from Europe, Branigan was signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic Records. For several years Atlantic had difficulty classifying Branigan's powerful voice. Her pop single "Looking Out for Number One", from her unreleased album Silver Dreams, made a brief appearance on the U.S. dance chart, reaching No. 60. Two other early Atlantic singles, "Tell Him" and "Fool's Affair"/"When", followed. None of these three singles were included on her first album, but all four songs were eventually released on CD over 30 years later in 2014 as bonus cuts on a U.S. CD reissue of Branigan's first album. Branigan's 9-track debut album, Branigan, was released in March 1982. The first single from the album was "All Night with Me", which reached No. 69 on the Billboard charts in early 1982. The album alternated four energetic up-tempo songs with five ballads, including one of the few songs written solely by Branigan, "I Wish We Could Be Alone". "Gloria", an Italian love song recorded in 1979 by Umberto Tozzi and successful in several European countries, was released as the album's second single. Branigan's version was reworked with Tozzi's own arranger, Greg Mathieson, who updated its production with fellow producer Jack White to give it what Branigan called "an American kick" to match the new English lyrics. U.S. radio stations were initially unreceptive to "Gloria", but after it was embraced by dance clubs it eventually won them over, becoming one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. The album went gold, and the single was eventually certified platinum (sales of more than two million U.S. copies). Branigan's performance of "Gloria" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance alongside Linda Ronstadt, Olivia Newton-John, Juice Newton and that year's winner, Melissa Manchester, becoming her only solo nomination.In the spring of 1983, Branigan released her second album: Branigan 2. Her vocals propelled her English-language version of the French song, "Solitaire" toward the top of the U.S. charts. The ori.... Discover the Laura Ann popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Laura Ann books.

Best Seller Laura Ann Books of 2024

  • Her Unexpected Partner synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Partner

    Laura Ann

    She always works alone, he needs a partner...Can these two meet in the middle to find love?Charlize (Charli) Mendez has made a name for herself as Seaside Bay's handywoman. There's...

  • Kidstory synopsis, comments

    Kidstory

    Tom Adams

    Learn about fifty amazing kids who changed the world in this beautifully illustrated collection of inspiring short biographies sure to empower and motivate in equal measure.You don...

  • Her Christmas Handyman synopsis, comments

    Her Christmas Handyman

    Laura Ann

    Hope's holiday is interrupted when she's accused of stealing from a guest.Can she prove her innocence before it's too late?Helping her grandmother after her hip surgery was a nobra...

  • Anasi Stories synopsis, comments

    Anasi Stories

    Laura-Ann Quinones

    Throughout history folk tales have been told and retold.  Each culture personalizes the stories in their own way. These stories were originally published in 1917 by W. H. Bar...

  • Her Fake Billionaire Boyfriend synopsis, comments

    Her Fake Billionaire Boyfriend

    Laura Ann

    He's the black sheep of the family, she's an author with severe writer's block,will these two opposite find inspiration and comfort in each other?Hazel has never been the type to s...

  • Bomb Shelter synopsis, comments

    Bomb Shelter

    Mary Laura Philpott

    A New York Times Editors’ Choice One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year“A beautifully wrought ode to life…a precious gift to the world.” The Washington PostFrom the bestselling author...

  • The Vanishing synopsis, comments

    The Vanishing

    Sophia Tobin

    'Think Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, but ten times darker, and you have The Vanishing … as dark and eerie and gothic as the Yorkshire Moors it is set on. One ...

  • Her Unexpected Gift synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Gift

    Laura Ann

    She's finally free of doctors,he's looking to nurse his wounds in private...can a little holiday magic give these two a future worth fighting for?While other single women in their ...

  • Her Unexpected Catch synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Catch

    Laura Ann

    A college professor looking for acceptance and a moody ship captain searching for freedom.When a rumor sparks a dangerous debate, can these two find love on the high seas?Dr. Hadle...

  • Her Billionaire Chef synopsis, comments

    Her Billionaire Chef

    Laura Ann

    She's running from her mother's demands, he's chasing a dream...When their personalities clash, can they lower their walls long enough to find love?Hayden Truman escaped a nightmar...

  • Her Unexpected Second Chance synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Second Chance

    Laura Ann

    "Totally swoon worthy kisses. Definitely recommend!""An excellent story!"Melody Frasier loves her small town life on the Oregon coast. She has good friends, an irritating but lovab...

  • Her Unexpected Protector synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Protector

    Laura Ann

    Five years ago she ran to save her life.Will falling in love a second time help her to find a new one?Rosalinda Ingalls has spent the last few years building a flower business from...

  • Laura Ann Anderson v. Terry Sellers synopsis, comments

    Laura Ann Anderson v. Terry Sellers

    Missouri Court of Appeals St. Louis District

    Laura Ann Anderson, a pedestrian aged 91/2 years at time of injury, sued Terry Sellers, driver of an automobile, for $15,000 damages for personal injuries sustained by her when, as...

  • The Honey and the Sting synopsis, comments

    The Honey and the Sting

    Elizabeth Fremantle

    'A lush, thrilling pageturner humming with its own exquisite dark beauty. I loved it!' Eve Chase, author of The Glass House'Fremantle builds the tension with delicious skill in thi...

  • The Sweetest Companion synopsis, comments

    The Sweetest Companion

    Laura Ann

    Is there anything worse than having to eat humble pie?I think not.I've spent my life proving I can keep up with anything, particularly men with egos too big for their heads. There'...

  • Her Unexpected Star synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Star

    Laura Ann

    He's the first man to pull her attention away from a longtime celebrity crush...too bad their relationship is only temporary.Brooklyn Howell has watched each and every one of her f...

  • I Miss You When I Blink synopsis, comments

    I Miss You When I Blink

    Mary Laura Philpott

    NATIONAL BESTSELLERA charmingly relatable and wise memoirinessays by acclaimed writer and bookseller Mary Laura Philpott, “the modern day reincarnation of…Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck...

  • Her Unexpected Mistletoe Kiss synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Mistletoe Kiss

    Laura Ann

    She wants to go under the radar,he's desperate to be seen...will a little mistletoe magic help heal these two broken hearts?Isabel, "Belle", Kerr arrives on her brother's doorstep,...

  • Middletide synopsis, comments

    Middletide

    Sarah Crouch

    In this gripping and intensely atmospheric debut, disquiet descends on a small town after the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, with all clues pointing to the reclusive...

  • Her Unexpected Delivery synopsis, comments

    Her Unexpected Delivery

    Laura Ann

    He's seen the woman behind the mask...Now he wants to know more.Benny Frasier has always been the class clown type, thriving on the attention and laughter of others. So when his cl...

  • Blackout synopsis, comments

    Blackout

    Candace Owens

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIt’s time for a black exit.Political activist and social media star Candace Owens addresses the many ways that Democrat Party policies hurt, rather than he...

  • Mary Ann in Autumn synopsis, comments

    Mary Ann in Autumn

    Armistead Maupin

    Inspiration for the Netflix Limited Series, Tales of the CityThe eighth novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s bestselling San Francisco s...

  • The 100 Best Romance Novels synopsis, comments

    The 100 Best Romance Novels

    Jennifer Lawler & Crimson Romance Editors

    "My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Mr. Darcy, Pride and PrejudiceThe taboo affair of Jane and Mr. Rochester. The...

  • Laura Ann and the Nazi Spy synopsis, comments

    Laura Ann and the Nazi Spy

    Mary L. Routh-Brodie

    "For the duration . . ." Thirteenyearold Laura Ann Fletcher resents those words. World War II is happening somewhere overseas, but not in her life yet. In 1943 America is caught u...

  • Obsession synopsis, comments

    Obsession

    Susan Lewis

    Corrie Browne is an ordinary girl with extraordinary ambitions. Determined to find the father she has never known, her search takes her from the quiet Suffolk village where she liv...