| LaVern Baker | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Delores LaVern Baker |
| Also known as | Delores Williams Little Miss Sharecropper Bea Baker |
| Born | November 11, 1929 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 10, 1997 (aged 67) Queens, New York, United States |
| Genres | Blues R&B |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1946–1967 1988–1991 |
| Labels | National Okeh Atlantic Brunswick |
| Associated acts | Jackie Wilson |
LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958).
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She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally referred to as Delores Williams because of an early marriage to Eugene Williams; in the late 1940s he was identified in RCA Victor record company files as "D. L. McMurley." She was the niece of blues singer Merline Johnson and was also related to Memphis Minnie.
She began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa around 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper,[1] and first recorded under that name in 1949. She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, and then became LaVern Baker when singing with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.
In 1953 she signed for Atlantic Records as a solo artist, her first release being "Soul on Fire". Her first hit came in early 1955, with the Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" reaching #4 on the R&B chart and #14 on the national US pop charts. Georgia Gibbs scored the bigger hit with her version of "Tweedle Dee", for which Baker unsuccessfully attempted to sue her.
Baker 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" (#3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (#2 R&B), and "Still" (#4 R&B). At the end of 1956 she had another smash hit with "Jim Dandy" (#1 R&B, #17 pop). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[2] Further hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (#7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear" (#2 R&B, #6 pop in 1959), "I Waited Too Long" (#5 R&B, #3 pop, written by Neil Sedaka), "Saved" (#17 R&B, written by Leiber and Stoller), and "See See Rider" (#9 R&B in 1963).
In addition to singing, Baker also did some work with Ed Sullivan and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1964, she recorded a Bessie Smith tribute album, before leaving Atlantic and joining Brunswick Records, where she recorded the album "Let Me Belong to You".
In 1966, Baker recorded a duet single with Jackie Wilson. The controversial song, Think Twice, featured raunchy lyrics that were not considered appropriate for airplay at that time or even today.[3]
In the late 1960s, she became seriously ill after a trip to Vietnam to entertain American soldiers. While recovering at the Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, a friend recommended that she stay on as the entertainment director at the Marine Corps Staff NCO club there, and she remained there for 22 years.
In 1988 she returned to perform at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary. She then worked on the soundtracks to films such as Shag, (1989), Dick Tracy, (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991), which were all issued on CD.
In 1990, she made her Broadway debut replacing Ruth Brown as star of the hit musical Black and Blue. In 1991, Rhino Records released a new album Live in Hollywood recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, as well as a compilation of her greatest Atlantic hits entitled Soul on Fire. In 1992 she recorded a well-received studio album, Woke Up This Morning, for DRG Records. She continued performing after having both legs amputated from diabetes in 1994 and made her last recording, "Jump Into the Fire," for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD, For the Love of Harry on the Music Masters label.
She received the 1990 Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, Baker became the second female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following Aretha Franklin in 1987. 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 #343 on the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
LaVern Baker died from coronary complications in 1997, and was interred in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York. She originally lay in an unmarked grave, but a fundraiser was scheduled by local historians to give LaVern a headstone, and this was accomplished on May 4, 2008.[4]
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B |
||
| 1955 | "Tweedlee Dee" | 14 | 4 |
| "Bop-Ting-a-Ling" | 3 | ||
| "That's All I Need" | 6 | ||
| "Play It Fair" | 2 | ||
| 1956 | "My Happiness Forever" | 13 | |
| "Get Up Get Up" | 15 | ||
| "Still" | 97 | 4 | |
| "I Can't Love You Enough" | 22 | 7 | |
| "Jim Dandy" | 17 | 1 | |
| "Tra La La" | 94 | flip | |
| 1957 | "Jim Dandy Got Married" | 76 | 7 |
| "Humpty Dumpty Heart" | 71 | ||
| 1958 | "It's So Fine" | 24 | |
| "I Cried a Tear" | 6 | 2 | |
| 1959 | "I Waited Too Long" | 33 | 5 |
| "So High So Low" | 52 | 12 | |
| "If You Love Me" | 79 | ||
| "Tiny Tim" | 63 | 18 | |
| 1960 | "Shake a Hand" | 13 | |
| "Wheel of Fortune" | 83 | ||
| "Shadows of Love" | 83 | ||
| "Bumble Bee" | 46 | ||
| 1961 | "You're the Boss"(with Jimmy Ricks) | 81 | |
| "I'll Never Be Free"(with Jimmy Ricks) | 103 | ||
| "Saved" | 37 | 17 | |
| 1962 | "See See Rider" | 34 | 9 |
| 1964 | "You Better Find Yourself Another Fool" | 128 | |
| 1965 | "Fly Me to the Moon" | 84 | 31 |
| 1966 | "Think Twice"(with Jackie Wilson) | 93 | 37 |
| "Please Don't Hurt Me"(with Jackie Wilson) | 128 | ||
| "Batman To the Rescue" | 135 | ||
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