I am Lavern Baker but that was my stage name. I was born Delores Williams on November 11th, 1929 in Chicago.
I always loved to sing. In 1947 I was discovered in a Chicago nightclub by bandleader Fletcher Henderson. I was just a teenager, but I won a recording contract with the influential Okeh Records. They nicknamed me "Little Miss Sharecropper." I toured extensively with a few orchestras, and then signed with Atlantic Records with whom I continued a lifelong and fruitful relationship.
My hit Twiddle Dee [click here for Real Audio sample - 411 KB] reached both pop and R & B charts in 1955, selling over a million copies and earning me a Gold Record. Two years later, my song Jim Dandy, also sold over a million copies and I received my second Gold Record. I was considered one of the leading performers of my time. My heart rendering ballad, I Cried a Tear, reached the number 6 slot on the charts in 1959. Although in the 1960's a lot of new bands were getting recognition, I was still recording more hits. One was written by the famous duo, Leber and Stoller, called Saved. I came out with yet another hit called See See Rider. My final song on the charts was Think Twice in 1966 where Jackie Wilson and we did a duet, in the very popular Motown sound.
In the late 60's I entertained the soldiers in Vietnam and got very sick and went to the Philippines to recuperate. I stayed there for 22 years, and raised a family. In the 1980's I starred in a show called Black and Blue on Broadway. I was known for my sharp sense of humor and cracking some really inappropriate jokes for a lady. On stage, I always gave my best. I spoke my mind and did not allow anyone to treat me any differently.
Presented May 22, 2004 by The Richmond Hill Historical Society, Maple Grove Cemetery, and The Immaculate Conception School of Jamaica Estates, NY (Dr. Charlene Jaffie, principal).
Copyright © 2004 Carl Ballenas & Nancy Cataldi.
No claim to Old Kew Gardens [.com] color photograph.
No claim to Old Kew Gardens [.com] color photograph.
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