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LaVern Baker

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Template:Short description Template:Use list-defined references Template:Use mdy dates Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox musical artist

Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997)<ref name="Delores-Evans-Birth-Cert 1929 Nov 22" /> was an American rhythm and blues singer who had several hit records on the pop charts in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958).

Baker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. The Hall remarked that her "fiery fusion of blues, jazz and R&B showcased her alluring vocals and set the stage for the rock and roll surge of the Fifties".<ref name="rrhof" /> From 1955 to 1965, 20 of her songs made the R&B charts. Over the years, Elvis Presley recorded eight Baker songs.<ref name="cleveland" />

Early lifeEdit

Born in Chicago as Delores Evans,<ref name="Eagle-Leblanc 2013" /> she was raised in nearby Calumet City. Under her mother's new surname, McMurley, Delores – on December 23, 1948, at age Template:Cardinal to word, in Cook County, Illinois – married Eugene Williams.<ref name="goldberg" /><ref name="marriages" />

CareerEdit

File:LaVern Baker, 1954.jpg
Baker in 1954
File:LaVern Baker, 1957 closeup.jpg
Baker Template:C. 1957

Baker began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa in 1946,<ref name="bb19581215">Template:Cite magazine</ref> often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper,<ref name="deffaa" /> and first recorded under that name in 1949, leading to a recording deal with that title for National Records in 1951, shortly before it folded.<ref name="bb19510417">Template:Cite magazine</ref> She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, switched to Delores Baker,<ref name="jet19520207">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and then was billed as LaVern Baker when she sang with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.<ref name="goldberg" />

In 1953, she signed with Atlantic Records as a solo artist, her first release being "Soul on Fire". Her first hit came in early 1955, with the Latin-tempo "Tweedle Dee", which reached number 4 on the R&B chart and number 14 on the national US pop chart. It sold over one million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs 2">Template:Cite book</ref> Georgia Gibbs recorded a note-for-note cover of the song, which reached number 1; subsequently Baker made an unsuccessful attempt to sue her for $250,000<ref name="jet19550224">Template:Cite magazine</ref> (Template:Inflation) and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations,<ref name="history" /><ref name="nyt" /> citing Gibbs and Vickie Young as copying her arrangement and vocal style.<ref name="bb19550305">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="jet19550317">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her request spurred Charles Diggs to lead a Congressional investigation into song theft.<ref name="jet19550324">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1955, Baker was the second most-played female artist in the United States after Etta James<ref name="bb19551112overtook">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and she had a succession of hits on the R&B charts over the next couple of years with her backing group, the Gliders, including "Bop-Ting-a-Ling" (number 3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (number 2 R&B), and "Still" (number 4 R&B). She experienced success with both pop and R&B artists<ref name="bb19550115">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and she was one of the key musicians creating cross-over success for R&B.<ref name="bb19551112bound">Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the end of 1956, she had another hit with "Jim Dandy" (number 1 R&B, number 17 pop), which sold over one million copies and was certified as a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs" /> More hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (number 7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear" (number 2 R&B, number 6 pop in 1958, with sax by King Curtis), "I Waited Too Long" (number 5 R&B, number 3 pop, written by Neil Sedaka), "Saved" (number 17 R&B, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller), and "See See Rider" (number 9 R&B in 1963). In 1958, she was one of the best-selling artists for Atlantic, on a short list of musicians who never sold less than 50,000 units<ref name="bb19580113">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and by 1961, she had three million-selling singles: "I Cried a Tear", "Tweedle Dee", and "Jim Dandy".<ref name="bb19610410">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In addition to singing, she did some work with Ed Sullivan<ref name="Bio" /> and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1964, she recorded the Bessie Smith tribute album LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith. She then left Atlantic for Brunswick Records, for which she recorded the album Let Me Belong to You.Template:Cn

Baker toured Australia in 1957 as part of Lee Gordon's Big Show, performing with a number of rock 'n' roll bands including Bill Haley and the Comets.<ref name="brisbane" /> She also toured the West Indies,<ref name="bb19570209">Template:Cite magazine</ref> raising her international profile and becoming one of the most popular musicians in Jamaica.<ref name="bb19570320">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1966, Baker recorded "Think Twice", a duet single with Jackie Wilson. The controversial song featured raunchy lyrics considered inappropriate for airplay at that time or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the version with the raunchy lyrics.<ref name="Morgan2004" />

After divorcing Eugene Williams in the fall of 1958, Baker married the comedian Slappy White February 19, 1959, in Baltimore.<ref name="marriages" /> After the couple divorced in 1969, Baker signed on for a USO tour. She became seriously ill with bronchial pneumonia after a trip to Vietnam. While recovering at the U.S. naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines, a friend recommended that she stay as the entertainment director at the Marine Corps Staff NCO club there. She remained there for 22 years, returning to the United States after the base was closed in 1991.<ref name="obit" />

In 1988, she performed at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary. She then worked on the soundtracks of the films Shag (1989), Dick Tracy (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991), all of which were issued on CD. She performed a song for Alan Parker's film Angel Heart (1987), which appeared on the original vinyl soundtrack album but was not included on the later CD issue for contractual reasons.

In 1990, she made her Broadway debut, replacing Ruth Brown as the star of the hit musical Black and Blue<ref name="obit" /> at Brown's suggestion.<ref name="jet19900702">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1991, Rhino Records released the album Live in Hollywood, recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill as well as Soul on Fire, a compilation of her Atlantic hits. In 1992, she recorded the album Woke Up This Morning for DRG Records.<ref name="obit" /> She continued performing after both legs were amputated because of complications due to diabetes in 1994.<ref name="obit" /> Baker made "Jump into the Fire," her last recording, for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD For the Love of Harry on the Music Masters label.<ref name="singers" /> She continued to perform live after the loss of her legs; in ailing health, she sang at a benefit concert honoring her in late 1996 that helped pay for her recent medical bills.<ref name="benefit" /> At that time she said, "God took my legs, but He left me my voice so I could continue to do what I love, to sing and entertain."<ref name="benefit" />

In 1990, Baker was among the first group of eight recipients of the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, she became the second female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following Aretha Franklin in 1987.<ref name="Larkin50" /> Her song "Jim Dandy" was named one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and was ranked number 343 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2020, Baker was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame

DeathEdit

Baker died of cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was buried in an unmarked plot in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York. Local historians raised funds for a headstone, which was erected on May 4, 2008.<ref name="nysac" />

DiscographyEdit

SinglesEdit

Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		Chart positions Album
U.S. U.S.
R&B
1953 "Soul on Fire"
b/w "How Can You Leave a Man Like This" 		— — LaVern Baker
1954 "I Can't Hold Out Any Longer"
b/w "I'm Living My Life for You" 		— — Non-album tracks
1955 "Tweedlee Dee"
b/w "Tomorrow Night" 		14 4 LaVern Baker
"Bop-Ting-a-Ling" / — 3
"That's All I Need" — 6
"Play It Fair"
b/w "Lucky Old Sun" 		— 2
1956 "My Happiness Forever" / — 13
"Get Up Get Up" — 15
"Fee Fee Fi Fo Fum"
b/w "I'll Do the Same for You" 		— — Non-album tracks
"Still" / 97 4 LaVern Baker
"I Can't Love You Enough" 22 7
"Jim Dandy" / 17 1
"Tra La La" 94 Flip
1957 "Jim Dandy Got Married"
b/w "The Game of Love" 		76 7 Non-album tracks
"Humpty Dumpty Heart"
b/w "Love Me Right" 		71 — Blues Ballads
"St. Louis Blues"
b/w "Miracles" (from LaVern) 		— —
1958 "Substitute"
b/w "Learning to Love" 		— — Non-album tracks
"Harbor Lights"
b/w "Whipper Snapper" (from Blues Ballads) 		— — LaVern
"It's So Fine"
b/w "Why Baby Why" 		— 24 Blues Ballads
"I Cried a Tear"
b/w "Dix-a-Billy" 		6 2
1959 "I Waited Too Long"
b/w "You're Teasing Me" 		33 5
"So High So Low" / 52 12
"If You Love Me" 79 —
"Tiny Tim"
b/w "For Love of You" (from Saved) 		63 18 Non-album track
1960 "Shake a Hand"
b/w "Manana" 		— 13 Saved
"Wheel of Fortune" / 83 —
"Shadows of Love" 83 —
"A Help-Each-Other Romance"
b/w "How Often"
Both tracks with Ben E. King 		— — Non-album tracks
"Bumble Bee"
b/w "My Time Will Come" 		46 — Saved
1961 "You're the Boss" (with Jimmy Ricks) / 81 — Non-album tracks
"I'll Never Be Free" (with Jimmy Ricks) 103 —
"Saved"
b/w "Don Juan" 		37 17 Saved
"I Didn't Know I Was Crying"
b/w "Hurtin' Inside" 		— — Non-album tracks
"Hey, Memphis"
b/w "Voodoo Voodoo" 		— —
1962 "No Love So True"
b/w "Must I Cry Again" (from Saved) 		— —
"See See Rider"
b/w "The Story of My Love" 		34 9 See See Rider
1963 "Trouble in Mind"
b/w "Half of Your Love" (from See See Rider) 		— — Non-album tracks
"Itty Bitty Girl"
b/w "Oh, Johnny Oh, Johnny" 		— —
1964 "You Better Find Yourself Another Fool"
b/w "Go Away" 		128 —
1965 "Fly Me to the Moon"
b/w "Ain't Gonna Cry No More" 		84 31
"Let Me Belong to You"
b/w "Pledging My Love" 		— — Let Me Belong to You
1966 "Think Twice" (with Jackie Wilson) / 93 37 Non-album tracks
"Please Don't Hurt Me" (with Jackie Wilson) 128 —
"One Monkey (Don't Stop the Show)"
b/w "Baby" (from Let Me Belong to You) 		— —
"Batman to the Rescue"
b/w "Call Me Darling" (from Let Me Belong to You) 		135 —
1967 "Wrapped, Tied and Tangled"
b/w "Nothing Like Being in Love" 		— —
"Born to Lose"
b/w "I Need You So" 		— — Let Me Belong to You
1969 "I'm the One to Do It"
b/w "Baby" 		— —

AlbumsEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

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Template:LaVern Baker Template:1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Template:Authority control

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