Eleanor Barooshian (April 2, 1950 – August 30, 2016), also known as Eleanor Baruchian and as Chelsea Lee, [1] was a member of the band the Cake (formed in New York in 1966). [2]
In the 1960s, Barooshian started out in Manhattan, New York, performing at Steve Paul's The Scene. She performed the Sonny & Cher hit " I Got You Babe" with Tiny Tim. She sang the male part, while Tiny Tim sang the female. [1] The duo appeared in You Are What You Eat, a 1968 documentary film produced by Peter Yarrow. [3] Yarrow cast them after seeing them perform at The Scene. [4]
The Cake formed in Manhattan, New York in 1966. They started out as an a cappella vocal trio, performing at The Scene. Jacobs and Morillo recruited Barooshian, forming their girl group The Cake. [4] In 1967, the trio were discovered by producers Charles Greene and Brian Stone (Greene and Stone) at New York's Ondine Discotheque basement nightclub, located near the 59th Street bridge. [4] [5] The Cake signed with Decca and relocated to Los Angeles, California. [4]
Barooshian was a songwriter, and wrote the majority of the group's songs, such as "Sadie" and "Island of Plenty". [4]
In 1968, Barooshian contributed backing vocals to "Why Are We Sleeping?", a track on The Soft Machine, the 1968 debut album by the British psychedelic rock band of the same name. [6]
Following the break-up of the Cake in 1968, Barooshian and fellow Cake member Jeanette Jacobs toured with Dr John, as his backing singers. [7] They subsequently moved to London, UK, where they became part of Ginger Baker's Air Force. In 1970, she briefly joined Ginger Baker's Air Force, [8] performing at their first live shows (March 1970 – May 1970), seen in April 1970, Copenhagen. [9] She was not involved or credited on the 1970 album. [10]
In the early 1970s, Barooshian recorded an album in Japan with Tetsu Yamauchi titled Tetsu (1972). She contributed as a songwriter on the album and applied vocals on the songs "Wiki Wiki", "Alexandra Stone", "Who Would I Be in the World Babe", and "Baby Blue". [11]
Barooshian left the music scene, preferring to live in the United Kingdom. She married and went by the name Chelsea Lee. [7] Later in life, she moved back to the United States, and took part in the 2006 reunion of The Cake. [4]
The Kevin Ayers song "Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)" from the LP Joy of a Toy (1969) was written about Barooshian. [4]
She died on August 30, 2016, at the age of 66. [7] [12]