Blue-eyed Southern soul diva Linda Lyndell remains best known for her 1968 pop hit "What a Man," later sampled for Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 hip-hop blockbuster "Whatta Man." Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Lyndell attended both white and Black churches as a child, and by her teens she was singing with local R&B acts. Just weeks following Otis Redding's death on December 10, 1967, Lyndell cut her Stax Records debut, "Bring Your Love Back to Me." During a second Memphis session that spring, Lyndell and the Stax house band essentially improvised "What a Man" in just two takes. When Salt-N-Pepa teamed with R&B vocal group En Vogue for their 1993 single "Whatta Man," they borrowed Lyndell's original chorus in toto. She knew nothing of the appropriation until the first royalty check appeared in her mailbox, but the success inspired Lyndell to resume her music career.