by Ron WynnBrooklyn vocalist Linda Clifford parlayed a jazz background, booming voice, and sassy manner into disco and R&B/urban contemporary stardom in the '70s and '80s. A former Miss New York State, she sang with the Jerico Jazz Singers and led her own trio in the '60s before switching to R&B and pop. She made a little noise on Paramount, then signed with Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label. Clifford got her first hit in 1978 with "Runaway Love," a song that peaked at number three on the R&B charts. The highly stylized "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was a club favorite that same year. Her next hit was a duet with Mayfield, "Between You Baby and Me," a much more soulful number in 1979 that peaked at number 14. She continued recording for RSO, Capitol, and Red Label in the '80s, but didn't recapture her former success. During the early '90s, she did some tracks produced by Rick Gianatos, but failed to find any label to release them.\r