Janice Michell McClain (born 25 January 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American R&B singer, probably best known for her 1979 disco hit "Smack Dab in the Middle".
[2] McClain was raised in North Philly, the only child of a construction father and a mother who worked as a secretary and later as a dressmaker.
On 10 July 1982 - a month after her high school graduation - McClain was in the lineup of a Robin Hood Dell benefit concert alongside such Philly soul stars as McFadden & Whitehead, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes & Billy Paul.
[8] Two days before her nineteenth birthday McClain reportedly caused a local sensation making her debut at the premiere North Philly jazz club Jewel's,[9][10] with McClain rapidly becoming established as a top lounge act, regular gigs at Jewel's [11] leading to engagements at New Jersey venues.
[7] Subsequent to a 1994 12" single release, McClain's recording resume has comprised chorale duties for Philly-area sessions, contributing to the albums It's Long Overdue by Keith Martin (1994), All the Way From Philadelphia by the Three Tenors of Soul (William Hart, Ted Mills, Russell Thompkins Jr.) (2007), Love, Niecy Style by Deniece Williams (2007), and George Clinton & His Gangsters of Love (2008), plus the 2010 seasonal EP Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever.