North Florida Music Hall of Fame

Born Linda Rowland in Gainesville in 1946, Lyndell was a country gal who sang R&B more than convincingly. Her first single was co-produced by Gainesville nightclub owner Dub Thomas and Ocala disc jockey Bob Norris; the B-side was a song written by Jacksonville DJ Dave Crawford. Crawford later became her producer. He brought Lyndell to Jacksonville to record her next single, another Crawford composition; he then took the record to Stax Records in Memphis, which agreed to a production deal. Crawford and Lyndell co-wrote and recorded the original version of “What a Man” (she improvised the song’s verses on the studio floor). That song became a big hit in 1993, redone by Salt & Pepa. Lyndell had to sue Crawford’s estate, however, to get her share of songwriter royalties. After the original “What a Man” tanked — Stax was undergoing a painful divorce from Atlantic at the time — she became disillusioned and retreated from the music business altogether. Lyndell currently lives in Tallahassee. Also see Crawford, Dave.