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Every once in a while, someone comes along who rises above the fray with undeniable talent. Such is the case with the inimitable Lydia Pense.
Pense was born in San Francisco in 1947 and lived in the city by the bay for the first ten years. Her family then moved down the peninsula to Redwood City.
While attending Sequoia High School, she became interested in music and began singing with a band called the Dimensions.
Pense was a big fan of Brenda Lee and wanted to sing in a similar style. However, the band encouraged her to take a different course. They wanted her to sing R&B, similar to James Brown.
Janis Joplin saw Lydia perform and was very impressed with the former A&W carhop. In fact, Janis was so impressed that she suggested to legendary promoter Bill Graham that Lydia audition for the group Cold Blood.
She joined the group in 1968 as lead singer, and Cold Blood became one of the first groups signed by Graham to his Fillmore Records label.
The group appeared at the Fillmore several times and became a staple at concert venues around the Bay Area and throughout the country.
Over the next few years, Cold Blood cut several albums with Lydia’s piercing voice leading the way.
The band then separated in the late ’70s. In the early ‘80s, Pense took another break to raise her daughter Danielle.
In 1988, the band reunited and resumed performing.
However, on June 30, 2021, Lydia had a heart attack. She remained hospitalized for some time.
Eventually, this tough lady recovered and resumed performing.
She’s come a long way from the days of car hopping at A&W!
Everything else is just history
