Betty Harris

Biography

Betty Harris (born September 9, 1939 in Orlando, Florida, United States) is an American soul singer. Her recording career in the 1960s produced three hit singles that made the U.S. Billboard R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts: "Cry to Me" (1963), "His Kiss" (1964) and "Nearer to You" (1967). However, her reputation among soul music connoisseurs far exceeds her commercial success of the 1960s, and her recordings for the Jubilee and Sansu record labels are highly sought after in the 2000s by fans of Southern Soul, Northern soul and deep soul.

Career

In 1963, after being in the music business for a few years, Betty Harris recorded a slowed-down version of Solomon Burke's hit of the year before, "Cry to Me", produced by the original record's producer, Bert Berns, and released on the Jubilee record label. Harris's rendition turned the song into a Billboard Hot 100 number 23 hit, with a corresponding number 10 listing on the R&B chart, and it became a deep soul classic. Three further singles, including a reissue of "Cry to Me", were released on Jubilee, also produced by Bert Berns, with "His Kiss", which was released on January 4, 1964, another deep soul ballad, reaching the lower part of the Billboard Pop and R&B charts.
In 1964, Betty Harris switched record labels to Sansu, a New Orleans label, where she was produced by Allen Toussaint. Her recording with Sansu produced ten singles. Of those, only "Nearer to You", an atmospheric, dramatic soul ballad, now considered one of the milestones of deep soul, achieved U.S. national chart success (Billboard number 85). However, practically all of her recordings for Sansu, uptempo tunes and ballads alike, featuring Toussaint's raw yet sophisticated Southern soul arrangements behind Harris's rich, distinctive vocal, are considered prime specimens of the classic soul era; some notable recordings were "I'm Evil Tonight×I'm Evil TonightMay 1967 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI’m Evil Tonight2:20BNearer to You2:56", a beat ballad favored in Northern soul circles; "I Don't Want to Hear It", "Show It" and "Twelve Red Roses", stirring up-tempo tracks; and "Can't Last Much Longer" and "What'd I Do Wrong", emotive deep soul ballads.
Harris retired from performing in 1970 to raise a family.
All of the Sansu recordings were compiled into an album released in the UK (but not the U.S.) in 1969, called Soul Perfection×Soul Perfection1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracksA1Ride Your Pony3:11A2What a Sad Feeling2:25A3Bad Luck2:33A4I'm Gonna Git Ya2:24A5Show It3:02A6Can't Last Much Longer2:52A7I Don't Wanna Hear It2:06A8Sometime2:36B1Mean Man2:42B2Lonely Hearts2:58B3Hook, Line2:42B4What'd I Do Wrong2:50B5Trouble With My Lover2:49B6Nearer to You2:56B7I'm Evil Tonight2:23B812 Red Roses2:31, an album which, in its vinyl format, although not extremely rare, commands prices of $200 to $300 today.
A comprehensive CD compilation of Harris's recordings, titled Soul Perfection Plus×Soul Perfection Plus1998 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks1Cry to Me3:162I'll Be a Liar2:583His Kiss2:524It's Dark Outside3:195Ma Ja Hannah3:276Now Is the Hour2:277Everybody's Love (a.k.a. Just Like Mine)3:338Why Don't You Tell Him (take 37)3:319I'm Evil Tonight2:2210What a Sad Feeling2:2511Sometime2:3612I Don't Want to Hear It2:061312 Red Roses2:3114What'd I do Wrong2:5015Lonely Hearts2:5916Bad Luck2:3317Nearer to You2:5518I'm Gonna Git Ya2:2319Can't Last Much Longer2:5220Love Lots of Lovin2:5921Take Care of Your Love3:1922Mean Man2:4223Hook, Line & Sinker2:4224Show It3:0125Trouble With My Lover2:4926Ride Your Pony3:1127All I Want Is You2:1928There's a Break in the Road2:52, was released in 1999 by the UK reissue label Westside.
In 2005, Harris returned to the music industry after a long absence. Betty has been in a decades-long copyright battle over the ownership of her music. Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn never paid her the royalties due her, and she owns the sound recording copyrights for all the songs she recorded with Sansu, including "Nearer to You."
She has made several public appearances in the U.S. and Europe, including the 2007 Porretta Soul Festival in Italy, and has recorded a new album, Intuition×Intuition2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Is It Hot in Here?2Isolation (Someone to Hold)3Intuition4Still Amazed5Since You Brought Your Sweet Love6A Fool Can Always Break Your Heart7You Do My Soul Good8How to Be Nice9Who’s Takin’ Care of My Baby?10Time to Fly11It Is What It Is12Need13She Stays On14Tell It to the Preacher Man15A Bible and a Beer16Happiness Is Mine.
Harris toured Australia in 2006 and appeared on the TV show RocKwiz, where she performed "Cry to Me", and a duet of "Love Lots of Lovin'" with the Australian singer John Paul Young.