Marlena Shaw, ‘California Soul’ singer, dead at 81

Marlena Shaw, the jazz and R&B vocalist whose “California Soul” was one of the defining soul songs of the late 1960s, has died. She was 81. Shaw’s daughter, Marla Bradshaw, announced the singer’s death Friday in a video posted on Facebook. A cause of death was not given. A charismatic and wide-ranging vocalist, Shaw was best known for 1969’s “California Soul,” which has endured as a widely popular and often sampled song. The 5th Dimension and Marvin Gaye also recorded “California Soul,” yet Shaw’s version became the much-loved version. It’s been sampled by dozens of artists.