LaVern Baker

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Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997)^[1] 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" (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".^[2] From 1955 to 1965, 20 of her songs made the R&B charts. Over the years, Elvis Presley recorded eight Baker songs.^[3]

Early life

Born in Chicago as Delores Evans,^[4] she was raised in nearby Calumet City. Under her mother's new surname, McMurley, Delores – on December 23, 1948, at age nineteen, in Cook County, Illinois – married Eugene Williams.^[5][6]

Career

Baker began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa in 1946,^[7] often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper,^[8] 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.^[9] She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, switched to Delores Baker,^[10] and then was billed as LaVern Baker when she sang with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.^[5]

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. It sold over one million copies.^[11] 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^[12] (equivalent to $2,843,478 in 2023) and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations,^[13][14] citing Gibbs and Vickie Young as copying her arrangement and vocal style.^[15][16] Her request spurred Charles Diggs to lead a Congressional investigation into song theft.^[17]

In 1955, Baker was the second most-played female artist in the United States after

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.^[25] She also toured the West Indies,^[26] raising her international profile and becoming one of the most popular musicians in Jamaica.^[27]

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 or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the version with the raunchy lyrics.^[28]

After divorcing Eugene Williams in the fall of 1958, Baker married the comedian Slappy White February 19, 1959, in Baltimore.^[6] 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.^[29]

In 1988, she performed at

Baker died of cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67. She was buried in an unmarked plot in

• 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

  1. "Pledging My Love"
  2. "Let Me Belong to You"
  3. "I'm the One to Do It"
  4. "Baby"
  5. "Born to Lose"

  Side B

  1. "Call Me Darling"
  2. "Love Is Ending"
  3. "Baby Don't You Do It"
  4. "I Need You So"
  5. "Play It Fair"
• Woke Up This Mornin' (1992)

References