Minnie Julia Riperton was an American soul singer from Chicago, Illinois, most noted for her abilities in the whistle register and her 1975 hit single "Lovin' You". Possessing a rare five-octave vocal range, she displayed the ability to imitate instrumentation and even birds. Wikipedia
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Minnie Riperton. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Riperton
Riperton was born in Chicago on November 8, 1947; as a youth she studied music, drama, and dance at the city's Lincoln Center and later contemplated a career in opera. www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:6q1tk6dx9kr0