Angela Bofill

Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 2, 1954, to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father, Angela Bofill was an R&B / soul / jazz vocalist best known for hits such as “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” (1982), “What I Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You)” (1979), “Too Tough” (1982), and “I’m on Your Side” (1983). Raised on Latin music, she studied classical music and singing, eventually earning her Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1976. After performing in the chorus for the Dance Theater of Harlem, she connected with jazz label GRP Records and released her debut album, Angie, in 1978. The album – number 5 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and number 20 on the R&B Albums chart - included her first hit, “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” which hit number 23 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart while barely missing the Hot 100. Her second album, Angel of the Night (1979), was even more successful and climbed to number 2 on the jazz chart, number 10 on the R&B Chart, and number 34 on the Billboard 200. She continued her success with her first album for Arista Records, Something About You (1981), which reached went to number 4 on the jazz chart and number 13 on the R&B chart. Her stylistic shift towards R&B on 1983’s Too Tough was an R&B and pop success although she failed to find success on the jazz chart. While she remained an R&B success, her pop and jazz successes dwindled after the release of Teaser (1983). After her contract with Arista Records ended in the mid-1980s, she signed with Capitol Records for 1988’s Intuition, which landed just inside the R&B Top 40. Her relationship with Capitol was short-lived and after one album with Jive Records (1993’s I Wanna Love Somebody) and one with Shanachie (1996’s Love in Slow Motion), Angela Bofill stepped out of the spotlight and continued her music career as a session vocalist. She suffered her first stroke in 2006 and while recovering, suffered a second stroke in 2007. Angela Bofill died on June 13, 2024, at the age of 70.