Linda Lyndell was born in Gainesville, Florida, where she grew up singing gospel in both White and Black churches. She began to sing with R&B groups as a teen, most notably with The Rare Breed.

In 1967, Atlanta DJ Dave Crawford introduced her music to producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Hayes and Porter [or Dave Crawford] recorded her first single, "Bring Your Love Back To Me", in 1967, but it didn't get much attention.

In 1968 she recorded "What A Man", reportedly improvised with the Stax musicians in only two takes, which reached #50 on the Billboard charts. It's said that threats from the KKK convinced her to retire from performing and return to Gainesville.

Salt n Pepa/EnVogue sampled the song for "Whatta Man" in 1993, and she re-emerged to perform occasionally. She performed "What A Man" for the opening of the Stax Records museum in 2003.





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