LaVern Baker

Biography

Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) 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×I Cried a Tear1958 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Cried a Tear2:34BDix-A-Billy1:54" (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". From 1955 to 1965, 20 of her songs made the R&B charts. Over the years, Elvis Presley recorded eight Baker songs.

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, as Delores Evans, she was raised in nearby Calumet City. Under her mother's new surname, McMurley, Delores – on December 23, 1948, at the age of nineteen, in Cook County, Illinois – married Eugene Williams.

Career

Baker began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa in 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, 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. She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, switched to Delores Baker, and then was billed as LaVern Baker when she sang with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.
In 1953, Baker 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 more than one million copies. 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 (equivalent to $3,004,658 in 2025) and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations, citing Gibbs and Vickie Young as copying her arrangement and vocal style. Her request spurred Charles Diggs to lead a Congressional investigation into song theft.
In 1955, Baker was the second most-played female artist in the United States after Etta James 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 and she was one of the key musicians creating cross-over success for R&B. 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. More hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (number 7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear×I Cried a Tear1958 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Cried a Tear2:34BDix-A-Billy1:54" (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×Saved1961 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Saved2:34A2For Love of You2:12A3Manana2:07A4My Time Will Come2:25A5Shadows of Love2:18A6Must I Cry Again2:32B1Bumble Bee2:23B2Shake a Hand2:49B3Don Juan2:21B4Wheel of Fortune1:59B5Senor Big and Fine2:15B6Eternally1:56" (number 17 R&B, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller), and "See See Rider×See See RiderFebruary 1963 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1See See Rider2:32A2You Better Stop2:42A3He's a Real Gone Guy2:14A4Story of My Love2:10A5You Said2:19A6I'm Leavin' You2:31B1Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes2:30B2Trying2:07B3Half Your Love2:17B4A Little Bird Told Me So2:04B5Endless Love2:01B6All the Time2:12" (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 and by 1961, she had three million-selling singles: "I Cried a Tear", "Tweedle Dee", and "Jim Dandy". In addition to singing, she did some work with Ed Sullivan and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1958, she recorded the Bessie Smith tribute album LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith×LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith1958 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Gimme a Pigfoot3:08A2Baby Doll3:37A3On Revival Day3:14A4Money Blues2:52A5I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle3:56A6Backwater Blues4:39B1Empty Bed Blues4:52B2There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight2:42B3Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out3:56B4After You've Gone3:09B5Young Woman's Blues2:51B6Preaching the Blues2:50. She then left Atlantic for Brunswick Records, for which she recorded the album Let Me Belong to You×Let Me Belong to You1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Pledging My Love2:33A2Let Me Belong to You2:14A3I'm the One to Do It2:50A4Baby2:46A5Born to Lose2:48B1Call Me Darling2:40B2Love Is Ending2:45B3Baby Don't You Do It2:23B4I Need You So2:08B5Play It Fair2:13.
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. She also toured the West Indies, raising her international profile and becoming one of the most popular musicians in Jamaica.
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. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the version with the raunchy lyrics.
After divorcing Eugene Williams in late 1958, Baker married the comedian Slappy White February 19, 1959, in Baltimore. 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.
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 at Brown's suggestion. 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. She continued performing after both legs were amputated because of complications due to diabetes in 1994. 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. 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. 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."
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. Baker's 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

Death

Baker died of cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67. 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.

Albums

LaVern (1956)
LaVern Baker (1957)
LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith (1958)
Precious Memories: LaVern Baker Sings Gospel (1959)
Blues Ballads (1959)
Saved (1961)
Richard Rodgers’ No Strings. An After‐Theatre Version (1962, with Chris Connor, Herbie Mann, and Bobby Short)
See See Rider (1963)
Let Me Belong to You (1970)
Side A
"Pledging My Love"
"Let Me Belong to You×Let Me Belong to You1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Pledging My Love2:33A2Let Me Belong to You2:14A3I'm the One to Do It2:50A4Baby2:46A5Born to Lose2:48B1Call Me Darling2:40B2Love Is Ending2:45B3Baby Don't You Do It2:23B4I Need You So2:08B5Play It Fair2:13"
"I'm the One to Do It"
"Baby"
"Born to Lose"
Side B
"Call Me Darling"
"Love Is Ending"
"Baby Don't You Do It"
"I Need You So"
"Play It Fair"
Woke Up This Mornin' (1992)