Biography

Elizabeth Lands (February 11, 1939 – January 11, 2013) was an American soul singer. She grew up in New York City before moving to Detroit. Her purported five octave vocal range started her Motown career before Berry Gordy tried to make a name for her in the R&B/Pop market. She left Motown in 1965, and recorded two singles for T & L Records. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, Lands re-emerged and Ian Levine recorded her for his Motorcity label.In September 1964, nearly a year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lands recorded a vocal tribute to Kennedy that was distributed to 2,000 delegates at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Lands' song, "May What He Lived for Live," was included in the memorial to Kennedy at the convention through the efforts of Joe Lieberman, then an administrative assistant to John Moran Bailey, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.