Dorothy LaBostrie
Dorothy LaBostrie | |
---|---|
Birth name | Dorothy LaBostrie |
Also known as | Dorothy LaBostrie Black |
Born | Rayland, Atlanta, Georgia, United States | May 18, 1928
Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Years active | c.1954–1970 |
Dorothy LaBostrie (May 28, 1928[1][2] – November 4, 2007),[3] later Dorothy LaBostrie Black, was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing Little Richard's 1955 hit "Tutti Frutti".
Early life and songwriting career
She was born in Rayland,
In September 1955 — though details of the story vary — she was contacted by record producer
She was credited as co-writer of the song, with Little Richard (Penniman), but later claimed that she had written it in its entirety.[2][4] She later laughed at Little Richard's claim that he had written the song by himself and was cheated out of royalties for years, saying "Little Richard didn't write none of 'Tutti Frutti'."[5] She was still receiving royalty checks for the song, at an average of $5,000 every three to six months, in the 1980s.[2]
Also in 1955, she contributed another song to Specialty, "Rich Woman", co-written and performed by McKinley "Li'l" Millet. Although not successful at the time, it was later recorded by Canned Heat among others, and most notably by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, whose recording of it won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[2][6]
She later worked as a songwriter for Joe Ruffino, owner of the local record labels Ric and Ron. She wrote the song "I Won't Cry" in 1958, and persuaded Ruffino to allow her neighbor,
Later life and death
At some point, she married Clyde Black and had two daughters.[3] In 1970, after being injured in a road accident, she moved to New York and broke her ties with the music business. In the 1980s, she was reported to be living a quiet life, receiving regular royalty payments from the continued popularity of "Tutti Frutti".[2]
Dorothy LaBostrie Black died while visiting friends in
References
- ^ "Dorothy LaBostrie". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dorothy Labostrie". Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- ^ a b c d "November 2007 Obituaries Orleans Parish Louisiana : Submitted by N.O.V.A. (New Orleans Volunteer Association) November 2007". Archived from the original (TXT) on 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ a b c d Jason Ankeny (1938-05-18). "Dorothy LaBostrie | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- ISBN 0-9614245-0-8
- ^ "GRAMMY.com". 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
External links
- Transcript of interview with Dorothy LaBostrie, c. 1995