Chicago native Evelyn Thomas emerged before the commercial peak of disco with the Top 40 U.K. hit "Weak Spot" (1976), but it was in the post-disco era that she truly etched her name in dance music history. Launched from underground clubs, "High Energy" (1984), produced by long-term studio partner Ian Levine, rejuvenated the singer's career by cracking the U.K. Top Ten and topping the U.S. club chart, and in turn became one of the definitive recordings of the post-disco era. An ex-gospel singer blessed with a bluesy voice, Thomas had a lengthy career beyond her signature hit, as her elastic, soulful vocals fit everything from soul-jazz to torch songs to the pulsating electronic dance music for which she was best known.
Ellen Lucille Thomas was discovered in her hometown of Chicago by British DJ and songwriter/producer Ian Levine. Levine had come to the U.S. to discover talent for his newly formed Voltafine Production Company. His goal was to record American soul singers and lease the results to major recording companies. Impressed by Thomas' voice, he cut some tracks with her and secured a deal with 20th Century Records. Levine and Danny Leake produced Thomas' first single, "Weak Spot," which in early 1976 reached number 26 on the U.K. pop chart. The success of Thomas' record and others prompted Voltafine to fly their American artists to England to tour and appear on Top of the Pops in hopes of additional success. Thomas came over with fellow Chicagoans and Voltafine artists Barbara Pennington and L.J. Johnson. The appearances went well, and Thomas nearly scored a second Top 40 U.K. hit with her follow-up, "Doomsday." After returning to Chicago, the trio were soon flown back to England to tour the Northern soul clubs as the Chicago Soul Revue. Levine had established himself earlier in the decade as a DJ at the Blackpool Mecca, one of the major Northern soul venues.
After a total of four singles for 20th Century, Thomas recorded for Casablanca and AVI, releasing the albums I Wanna Make It on My Own and Have a Little Faith in Me by the end of the '70s. For a few years, Thomas didn't record any new material. After Levine became one of the leading producers of the uptempo and electronic post-disco sound dubbed Hi-NRG (with club hits Miquel Brown's "So Many Men, So Little Time"), he and Thomas resumed their partnership with "High Energy." Sure enough, the 1984 single became one of the style's most representative songs, peaking at number five in the U.K., where it was issued on Record Shack. In the U.S., licensed to the Vanguard label, it topped the Billboard club chart. High Energy was consequently Thomas' biggest album, and was followed two years later by Standing at the Crossroads. Thomas released a batch of lower-profile singles through the '90s and continued recording and performing into the 2010s. Evelyn Thomas died on July 21, 2024, at the age of 70.
