Our Favorites: Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) was an American soul singer, best known for the 1975 hit song “Lovin' You.” From an early age, Riperton captivated audiences with her extraordinary five-octave vocal range and command of the whistle register. At the peak of her commercial success, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and became one of few celebrities to share her diagnosis publicly. She defied expectations for Black artists in the music industry and remained a beacon positivity until the end of her life. For Further Reading: Her Story: Minnie Riperton Minnie Riperton: 'Perfect Angel' Leaves Legacy of Love Minnie Riperton: Singing star discusses her recent surgery for breast cancer Minnie Riperton - Iconic R&B Singer For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to Our Favorites: Minnie Riperton online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Our Favorites: Minnie Riperton is an episode from Encyclopedia Womannica by iHeartPodcasts.

This episode is 7:29 long.

This episode was published on Oct 14, 2025.

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