Maxine Nightingale was born on November 2, 1952, in the United Kingdom, to Guyanese-born comedian Benny Nightingale and his wife Iris. She is the eldest of three children, including siblings Rosalind and Glenn. Nightingale's early life was marked by a strong passion for music, which she developed through her involvement in school bands and performances with her school friends.
At the age of 13, Nightingale and a friend visited a local house where the band Unisound was rehearsing. They were invited to join the band and performed extensively on the British cabaret circuit. The manager of one of the clubs where they performed asked Nightingale to record a demo, which was then sent to Pye Records. Despite being overseen by label head Cyril Stapleton, Nightingale's three single releases with Pye Records went unnoticed.
Nightingale's career in the West End production of Hair, playing a supporting role and understudying the female lead role of Sheila, marked a significant turning point in her life. She relocated to Germany, where she continued her stage musical career in Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Godspell. During this time, she formed a relationship with Minoru Terada Domberger, the director of the German production of Hair, which led to marriage and the birth of her daughter, Langka Veva Domberger, in 1973.
After her daughter was born, Nightingale returned to London with her husband and daughter and appeared in the West End production of Savages. However, she soon withdrew from professional performing, opting instead to focus on session singing. Her work on the recording of Al Matthews' "Fool" caught the attention of producer Pierre Tubbs, who asked composer J. Vincent Edwards to co-write a song for her, resulting in the hit single "Right Back Where We Started From".
The success of "Right Back Where We Started From" led to a contract with United Artists Records, and Nightingale went on to release several more hit singles, including "Love Hit Me" and "Lead Me On". Despite her success, Nightingale eventually withdrew from the music industry and has since maintained a relatively low public profile.
