LaVern Baker

video|right|300px right|300px 
Delores 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 "Tweedle Dee" (1955), "Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I Cried a Tear" (1958).
==Early life==
Baker was born Delores Evans in Chicago. Some sources refer to her as Delores Williams, the name by which she was known during her early marriage to Eugene Williams.Goldberg, Marv (2009). "Lavern Baker". Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
==Career==
Baker began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa around 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper,Deffaa, Chip (1996). Blue Rhythms: Six Lives in Rhythm and Blues. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02203-3, ISBN 978-0-252-02203-6. 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 was billed as LaVern Baker when she sang with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.
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. Georgia Gibbs recorded a note-for-note cover of the song, which reached number 1; subsequently Baker made an unsuccessful attempt to sue her and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations.
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" (number 3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (number 2 R&B), and "Still" (number 4 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. Further 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 addition to singing, she did some work with Ed SullivanLaVern Baker bio, A&E Television Networks, 2014; accessed September 28, 2014. 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. She then left Atlantic for Brunswick Records, for which 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 considered inappropriate for airplay at that time or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the version with the raunchy lyrics.
Baker and the comedian Slappy White were married in 1959. After the couple was 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 on 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 1988.
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. In 1991, Rhino Records released a new album, Live in Hollywood, recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, and a compilation of her greatest Atlantic hits, Soul on Fire. In 1992, she recorded a well-received studio 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 her last recording, "Jump into the Fire," for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD, For the Love of Harry, on the Music Masters label.
In 1990 Baker was among the first 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. 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.
==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.Profile, Nysac.com; accessed September 28, 2014.
==Discography==
===Singles===
Year	Single (A-side, B-side)Both sides from same album except where indicated 	Chart positions	Chart positions	Album
Year	Single (A-side, B-side)Both sides from same album except where indicated 	U.S. 	U.S.R&B 	Album
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
1955	"Bop-Ting-a-Ling" / 	— 	3 	LaVern Baker
1955	"That's All I Need" 	— 	6 	LaVern Baker
1955	"Play It Fair"b/w "Lucky Old Sun" 	— 	2 	LaVern Baker
1956	"My Happiness Forever" / 	— 	13 	LaVern Baker
1956	"Get Up Get Up" 	— 	15 	LaVern Baker
1956	"Fee Fee Fi Fo Fum"b/w "I'll Do the Same for You" 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1956	"Still" / 	97 	4 	LaVern Baker
1956	"I Can't Love You Enough" 	22 	7 	LaVern Baker
1956	"Jim Dandy" / 	17 	1 	LaVern Baker
1956	"Tra La La" 	94 	Flip 	LaVern Baker
1957	"Jim Dandy Got Married"b/w "The Game of Love" 	76 	7 	Non-album tracks
1957	"Humpty Dumpty Heart"b/w "Love Me Right" 	71 	— 	Blues Ballads
1957	"St. Louis Blues"b/w "Miracles" (from LaVern) 	— 	— 	Blues Ballads
1958	"Substitute"b/w "Learning to Love" 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1958	"Harbor Lights"b/w "Whipper Snapper" (from Blues Ballads) 	— 	— 	LaVern
1958	"It's So Fine"b/w "Why Baby Why" 	— 	24 	Blues Ballads
1958	"I Cried a Tear"b/w "Dix-a-Billy" 	6 	2 	Blues Ballads
1959	"I Waited Too Long"b/w "You're Teasing Me" 	33 	5 	Blues Ballads
1959	"So High So Low" / 	52 	12 	Blues Ballads
1959	"If You Love Me" 	79 	— 	Blues Ballads
1959	"Tiny Tim"b/w "For Love of You" (from Saved) 	63 	18 	Non-album track
1960	"Shake a Hand"b/w "Manana" 	— 	13 	Saved
1960	"Wheel of Fortune" / 	83 	— 	Saved
1960	"Shadows of Love" 	83 	— 	Saved
1960	"A Help-Each-Other Romance"b/w "How Often"Both tracks with Ben E. King 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1960	"Bumble Bee"b/w "My Time Will Come" 	46 	— 	Saved
1961	"You're the Boss" (with Jimmy Ricks) / 	81 	— 	Non-album tracks
1961	"I'll Never Be Free" (with Jimmy Ricks) 	103 	— 	Non-album tracks
1961	"Saved"b/w "Don Juan" 	37 	17 	Saved
1961	"I Didn't Know I Was Crying"https://www.discogs.com/LaVern-Baker-Hurtin-Inside-I-Didnt-Know-I-Was-Crying/release/8553492b/w "Hurtin' Inside"	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1961	"Hey, Memphis"b/w "Voodoo Voodoo" 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1962	"No Love So True"b/w "Must I Cry Again" (from Saved) 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1962	"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
1963	"Itty Bitty Girl"b/w "Oh, Johnny Oh, Johnny" 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1964	"You Better Find Yourself Another Fool"b/w "Go Away" 	128 	— 	Non-album tracks
1965	"Fly Me to the Moon"b/w "Ain't Gonna Cry No More" 	84 	31 	Non-album tracks
1965	"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
1966	"Please Don't Hurt Me" (with Jackie Wilson) 	128 	— 	Non-album tracks
1966	"One Monkey (Don't Stop the Show)"b/w "Baby" (from Let Me Belong to You) 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1966	"Batman to the Rescue"b/w "Call Me Darling" (from Let Me Belong to You) 	135 	— 	Non-album tracks
1967	"Wrapped, Tied and Tangled"b/w "Nothing Like Being in Love" 	— 	— 	Non-album tracks
1967	"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" 	— 	— 	Let Me Belong to You
===Albums===
==LaVern (1956)==
Side A
#"Lots and Lots of Love"
#"Of Course I Do"
#"You'll Be Crying"
#"Miracles"
#"I'm in a Crying Mood"
#"Mine All Mine"
Side B
#"Harbor Lights"
#"I'll Never Be Free"
#"Romance in the Dark"
#"Everybody's Somebody's Fool"
#"How Long Will It Be"
#"Fool That I Am"
==LaVern Baker (1957)==
Side A
#"Jim Dandy"
#"Tra La La"
#"I Can't Love You Enough"
#"Get Up, Get Up (You Sleepy Head)"
#"That's All I Need"
#"Bop-Ting-a-Ling"
#"Tweedlee Dee"
Side B
#"Still"
#"Play It Fair"
#"Tomorrow Night"
#"That Lucky Old Sun"
#"Soul on Fire"
#"My Happiness Forever"
#"How Can You Leave a Man Like This?"
==LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith (1958)==
Side A
#"Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)"
#"Baby Doll"
#"On Revival Day"
#"Money Blues"
#"I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle"
#"Back Water Blues"
Side B
#"Empty Bed Blues"
#"There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"
#"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"
#"After You've Gone"
#"Young Woman's Blues"
#"Preaching the Blues"
==Blues Ballads (1959)==
Side A
#"I Cried a Tear"
#"If You Love Me"
#"You're Teasing Me"
#"Love Me Right"
#"Dix-a-Billy"
#"So High So Low"
Side B
#"I Waited Too Long"
#"Why Baby Why"
#"Humpty Dumpty Heart"
#"It's So Fine"
#"Whipper Snapper"
#"St. Louis Blues"
==Precious Memories: LaVern Baker Sings Gospel (1959)==
Side A
#"Precious Memories"
#"Carrying the Cross for My Boss"
#"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
#"Touch Me, Lord Jesus"
#"Didn't It Rain"
#"Precious Lord"
Side B
#"Somebody Touched Me"
#"In the Upper Room"
#"Journey to the Sky"
#"Everytime I Feel the Spirit"
#"Too Close"
#"Without a God"
==Saved (1961)==
Side A
#"Saved"
#"For Love of You"
#"Manana"
#"My Time Will Come"
#"Shadows of Love"
#"Must I Cry Again"
Side B
#"Bumble Bee"
#"Shake a Hand"
#"Don Juan"
#"Wheel of Fortune"
#"Senor Big and Fine"
#"Eternally"
==See See Rider (1963)==
Side A
#"See See Rider"
#"You Better Stop"
#"He's a Real Gone Guy"
#"Story of My Love"
#"You Said"
#"I'm Leavin' You"
Side B
#"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes"
#"Trying"
#"Half of Your Love"
#"A Little Bird Told Me So"
#"Endless Love"
#"All the Time"
==Let Me Belong to You (1970)==
Side A
#"Pledging My Love"
#"Let Me Belong to You"
#"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"
==References==
==External links==
*
*
*Biography of Lavern Baker
*Discography of Lavern Baker
Category:1929 births
Category:1997 deaths
Category:Actresses from Illinois
Category:African-American female singers
Category:American expatriates in the Philippines
Category:American film actresses
Category:American gospel singers
Category:American rhythm and blues singers
Category:American television actresses
Category:Atlantic Records artists
Category:Brunswick Records artists
Category:Singers from Chicago
Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Jump blues musicians
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:20th-century American singers