LaVern Baker
Wikimp3 information about the music of LaVern Baker. On our website we have 70 albums and 70 collections of artist LaVern Baker. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that LaVern Baker represents Pop genres.
Biography
[Edit]LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.
Born Delores Williams, she was singing at the Club DeLisa on Chicago's south side at age 17, decked out in raggedy attire and billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper" (the same handle that she made her recording debut under for RCA Victor with Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar's band in 1949). She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for OKeh in 1951 with Maurice King's Wolverines, then settled on the first name of LaVern when she joined Todd Rhodes' band as featured vocalist in 1952 (she fronted Rhodes' aggregation on the impassioned ballad "Trying" for Cincinnati's King Records).
LaVern signed with Atlantic as a solo in 1953, debuting with the incendiary "Soul on Fire." The coy, Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" was a smash in 1955 on both the R&B and pop charts, although her impact on the latter was blunted when squeaky-clean Georgia Gibbs covered it for Mercury. An infuriated Baker filed suit over the whitewashing, but she lost. By that time, though, her star had ascended: Baker's "Bop-Ting-A-Ling," "Play It Fair," "Still," and the rocking "Jim Dandy" all vaulted into the R&B Top Ten over the next couple of years.
Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964. A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government.
Finally, in 1988, Baker returned stateside to star in Atlantic's 40th anniversary bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. That led to a soundtrack appearance in the film Dick Tracy, a starring role in the Broadway musical Black & Blue (replacing her ex-Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown), a nice comeback disc for DRG (Woke Up This Mornin'), and a memorable appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival. Baker died on March 10, 1997.
Title: Precious Memories - LaVern Baker Sings Gospel
Artist: LaVern Baker
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock
Title: Soul On Fire: The Best of LaVerne Baker
Artist: LaVern Baker
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Jazz
Title: Soul On Fire: Thes Best Of LaVerne Baker (US Release)
Artist: LaVern Baker
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B
Collections
Title: Halloween Horror Show
Genre: Rock
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1957, Vol. 12
Genre: Pop
Title: The Best of Doo Wop Harmonies, Vol. 4
Genre: Pop
Title: Atlantic Jazz: Best of the 50's
Genre: Jazz
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 5
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 23
Genre: Pop
Title: Songs of American History
Genre: Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1960, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: The Memphis Giants Meet the Legends
Genre: Blues
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1959, Vol. 21
Genre: Pop
Title: You Made Me Cry
Genre: Rock
Title: Soul Rarities, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Blues Roots & Folk Music
Genre: Blues
Title: Music From & Inspired By Angel Heart
Genre:
Title: Breaking Blues Vol.01
Genre: Blues
Title: That Is Soul
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1960, Vol. 4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 19
Genre: Pop
Title: The Jukebox Hits Vol 3
Genre: Pop
Title: The Jukebox Hits Vol 3
Genre: Pop
Title: Smooth Operators, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: The Greatest Hits Of 1958, Vol. 6
Genre: Pop
Title: One Dozen R & B Greats
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Old King Gold Volume 4 (Original King Recording)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: 25 Years of Rhythm and Blues Hits
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: The Rock 'N' Roll Explosion Vol. 2
Genre: Rock
Title: Alan Freed Rock N' Roll Radio (Live)
Genre: Rock
Title: Rock and Roll Vol. 1
Genre: Rock
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1959, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Atlantic 60th: Rainy Day Refrain
Genre: Rock
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 16
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1959, Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1960, Vol. 6
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Rhythm & Blues History
Genre: Jazz
Title: Hits, Hits, & Hits, Vol. 6
Genre: Rock
Title: A Rage In Harlem (Music from the Film)
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Girl Singers - The Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 2
Genre: Pop
Title: Hommage à Nesuhi / Hommage a Nesuhi
Genre: Jazz
Title: Girl Singers - The Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 3
Genre: Pop
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1959, Vol. 19
Genre: Pop
Title: The Hits of 1955, Vol. 4
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 17
Genre: Pop
Title: Rhythm and Blues of the 50's Vol. 2
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1953, Vol. 7
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Jukebox Hits
Genre: Alternative
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1955, Vol. 5
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1954, Vol. 6
Genre: Pop
Title: Atlantic 60: At the Hop
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock, Rock & Roll
Title: Rock 'n' Roll, Pop & Soul Sisters, Vol. 26
Genre: Pop
Title: That's All Right
Genre: Rock
Title: A Mixed Bag of Hits, Vol. 3
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 7
Genre: Pop
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1953 Volume 4
Genre: Pop
Title: Dancing Around the World, Vol. 4
Genre: Pop
Title: Rock 'n' Roll, Pop & Soul Sisters, Vol. 29
Genre: Pop
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1955, Vol. 4
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1960, Vol. 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: Greatest R & B Hits of 1960, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Retro High School Party
Genre: Rock
Title: The Very Best of 50's
Genre: Jazz
Title: Greatest R&B Hits of 1958, Vol. 1
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Pop
Title: The Best of Doo Wop Harmonies, Vol. 5
Genre: Pop
Title: Doo Wop Love Songs Vol 3
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul
Title: Rare Wild Rock 50', Vol. 11
Genre: Rock
Title: Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Dance Party
Genre: Rock
Featuring albums
Title: Best of Rock 'n' Roll & Jukebox Music: 100 Greatest Hits from the 50s & 60s
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock