Varetta Dillard

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Varetta Dillard
Triumph

Club

Varetta Mamie Dillard (February 3, 1933 – October 4, 1993)[1] was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1950s whose biggest hit was "Mercy, Mr. Percy".

Life and career

She was born in

R&B chart in July 1952, being especially popular in the South.[4][5]

She then toured with

baritone sax), Lonnie Johnson (guitar), Lee Anderson (piano), Prince Babbs (bass), and Gene Brooks (drums), and was arranged by Leroy Kirkland.[7] The song was nationally popular and became her theme song, but she had difficulty following it up and took time off to have a daughter with her husband Ronald Mack.[2][4] Her next major success, and final chart hit, came in early 1955 when she recorded "Johnny Has Gone", a tribute to singer Johnny Ace who had died as a result of an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot.[1] Dillard's recording was one of the more popular of several tributes to Ace and reached No. 6 on the R&B chart.[5] She continued to tour, and starred in the first rock and roll show in New Jersey in May 1955.[6]

She left the Savoy label in early 1956 and signed for the

Leiber and Stoller, but they were again unsuccessful commercially, and she was dropped by the label in early 1958. She went on to record for the Triumph label set up by Herb Abramson, and then for the Club label, a subsidiary of MGM.[6] Her last recordings were in 1961.[4]

In the early 1960s, she joined her husband's

music therapist, with chronically ill children.[2][4] Two compilations of her recordings from the late 1950s, Got You on My Mind and The Lovin' Bird, were issued by Bear Family Records in 1989.[4]

She died of cancer in 1993 at the age of 60 in Brooklyn, New York.[8]

Popular culture

Her hit "Mercy, Mr. Percy" can be heard on the radio in Mafia II.

Discography

Singles

Year Title Label
1951 "Please Come Back to Me" Savoy Records
"Love and Wine"
1952 "Easy, Easy Baby"
"A Letter In Blues"
"Them There Eyes"
"You Are Gone"
"Here In My Heart"
"I'm Yours"
"I Cried and Cried"
"Double Crossing Daddy"
"Tortured Love" (with H-Bomb Ferguson)
"Please Tell Me Why"
"Hurry Up"
1953 "Mercy, Mr. Percy"
"No Kinda Good, No How"
"Getting Ready for My Daddy"
"Three Lies"
"I Ain't Gonna' Tell"
"My Mind Is Working"
"I Love You"
"I Love You Just the Same"
1954 "Send Me Some Money"
"Love"
1955 "The Answer To My Prayer"
"Promise Mr. Thomas"
"Johnny Has Gone"
"so Many Ways"
"I'll Never Forget You"
"I Can't Stop Now"
1956 "Mama Don't Want (What Poppa Don't Want)" Groove Records
"Darling, Listen to The Words of This Song"
"Got You On My Mind"
"Skinny Jimmy"
"I Miss You Jimmy"
"If You Want to Be My Baby"
"One More Time"
"I Can't Help Myself"
"I'm Gonna Tell My Daddy"
"Cherry Blossom"
1957 "That's Why I Cry"
RCA Victor
"Undecided"
"Time Was"
"I Got A Lot of Love"
"Pray for Me Mother"
"Leave A Happy Fool Alone"
1958 "Just Multiply"
"What'll I Do"
"Star Of Fortune"
"The Rules of Love"
1959 "Scorched"
Triumph Records
"Good Gravy Baby"
1960 "Teaser" Cub Records
"I Know I'm Good for You"
1961 "You Better Come Home"
"I Don't Know What It Is But I Like It"
"A Little Bitty Tear"
"Mercy, Mr. Percy" (re-recording)
1962 "Breaking Hearts" (with The Thomases) Brent Records
"Fly By Night" (with The Thomases)

Albums

  • Johnny Has Gone (EP) (1956)

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ a b c "Kim Clark's Record Shack, 10/9/10: Featuring Varetta Dillard". Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  3. ^ "ROCK 'N' ROLL". Case.edu. May 22, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Varetta Dillard | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 114.
  6. ^ a b c d "Varetta". Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  7. ^ "Savoy Records Discography: 1953". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1992 - 1993". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved August 23, 2021.

External links