Tracy Hamlin

 

Tracy Hamlin Pays Homage to Late Starpoint Singer Renee Diggs with Her Cover of “You’re My Sunny Day”

 

Ever-versatile vocal sensation Tracy Hamlin is adding her love light to the rays of summer with a very special release on her own DMH Records label:  a cover of “You’re My Sunny Day” that was a Quiet Storm favourite in the summer of 1980 for Starpoint it has since become a Connoisseurs Classic. The feel-good love song is a perfect fit for Hamlin who has recorded two versions: a slow version on side A and a mid-tempo version on side B of a limited-edition vinyl 7” 45 single.

 

Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Tracy Hamlin came to know Renee Diggs as a member of Starpoint, a band of locals done good from nearby Annapolis, MD. “’You’re My Sunny Day’ is my tribute to Renee,” Hamlin states, “a recording on which I continue to honor her legacy as an amazing vocalist and for being my greatest vocal inspiration. I had the opportunity to work with her and sing background vocals on Oasis, the only solo project she recorded before her untimely death from heart failure in 2005…which happened the year my first CD was released. In 2011, I was the featured vocalist with Starpoint for their Reunion Concert in Lyon, France - their first in 25 years. I was the only vocalist they thought could handle Renee's vocals - a heartfelt honor.”

 

 “You’re My Sunny Day,” originally written by Renee Diggs with Starpoint group mate/longtime lover Ernesto Phillips, was recorded by the R&B sextet on its self-titled Chocolate City/Casablanca Records debut LP – their first of a ten-album run between 1980-1990. Until now, it has been a rare crate digger’s delight. Hamlin is breathing vibrant new life into it 28 years later. Hamlin’s collector’s item limited vinyl 45, DMH (the moniker being the initials of her departed mother’s name), as were her first three albums Seasons (2005), Better Days (2009) and This is My Life (2013). Hamlin is Executive Producer of all her works, including “You’re My Sunny Day” and her last three projects: the house music set Home (Quantize - 2013), No Limits (Expansion Records - 2015) and the ep Just Talk to Me (Expansion Records - 2016).