LaVern Baker, originally known as Delores Williams, was born on the south side of Chicago on November 11, 1929. As you read the first sentence you probably wondered, who is LaVern Baker? Well, sit back, relax, and put your feet up as I retell the story of this legend. LaVern Baker is a talented singer who is known for combining the unparalleled and one-of-a kind sounds of jazz and rhythm & blues to help create and popularize the new genre of music identified as rock and roll. I plan to follow Ms. Baker's life from the onset of her musical career until her death in 1997. Hopefully I will show you a glimpse of what her life was really like, and the many struggles and prejudices she faced as a black female vocalist in the rock and roll world. ("LaVern Baker 1991, Performer" - Click here to take a closer look at LaVern) Her amazingly strong voice, which helped to launch this new music form, is partially accredited to her family, which included such musical greats as Merline Johnson and Memphis Minnie. She was first exposed to music and started to sing in church during her early childhood. By the age of seventeen she began to sing in various nightclubs and continued to perform throughout the rest of her teenage years. Ms. Baker's professional debut took place in 1947 when she joined Fletcher Henderson's big band. During her early years on stage she answered to many pseudonyms, including Bea Baker and Little Miss Sharecropper, but settled on LaVern Baker when she performed with Todd Rhodes and His Orchestra. She did not achieve any real measure of success or popularity until 1953 when she signed with Atlantic Records. LaVern gradually climbed her way to the top with such rugged hits, like, "Tweedle Dee," "Jim Dandy," and "See See Rider," which combined the soulfulness of the blues with a hint of rock and roll, to establish her as a permanent figure in the rocky creation of pop music (Futterman 27). Ms. Baker's phenomenal career continued to blossom throughout the fifties, but many obstacles lay ahead for this young talented black woman. Being "one of the first Atlantic artists to crossover to the pop charts" (Gaar 9) she became the figure who represented the gradual acceptance of black musicians by white audiences. She faced constant scrutiny from both the public and the rock world, but some white audiences as well as blacks continued to show LaVern their support by listening and becoming more interested in r & b artists like herself. The tide began to turn slightly further for black artists as r&b increased in popularity and songs that previously only hit on the r&b - black- charts began to generate interest on the Top 40 - white - charts as well (Gaar 6). Engulfed by this political and musical transition, Ms. Baker was still able to rise to the top. Although Ms. Baker achieved some success, her many struggles surfaced once again when she "suffered from the segregationist impulses of the larger culture by having her songs 'covered' by a white singer, Georgia Gibbs, whose sanitized versions greatly outsold Baker's own" ("L.B. '91 Performer "). A particular incident in 1955 involving Georgia Gibbs and an imitation of Ms. Baker's "Tweedle Dee" infuriated her so much that she contacted her Congressman. In the end nothing resulted from the incident, "but it shows the rock'n'roll spirit of LaVern Baker, whose similar gobs of spunk, fire, and wit gave greatness to all her hits" (Marsh). Incidents like the one described above were not unheard of during this time period, particularly in the music field. Many black musicians experienced similar situations, having white artists using material as their own without any recognition or compensation to the original artist. LaVern as well as other black artists, also suffered discrimination from widespread rock stations that played mostly songs by white musicians. Because these stations were wary of playing black records, musicians like Baker lost significant airtime, wages, and sales due to the white cover album singers that imitated their styles ("L.B. "91 Performer"). LaVern and other musicians faced many prejudices in the music business, but those weren't their only problems. The increasing success of the rock & roll and r&b movements was challenged by many political and religious leaders who opposed this new kind of music. These leaders felt that having rock and roll's roots "in the black community was reason enough to condemn it; the presence of 'suggestive' lyrics, the emotional frenzy the music generated in live performance, and the fact that blacks and whites were able to freely mix at such performances" (Gaar 10) confirmed in their minds the immoral behavior they thought this music was creating. With LaVern's determination and the support of Atlantic Records she was able to overcome some of these hurdles. The success she achieved was highlighted by her twenty r&b hits from 1955 to 1965. One album in particular, LaVern Baker sings Bessie Smith, embodied LaVern's deep soulful voice. This work is an example of how her unique, seductive sound captured the audiences' attention, and shows Smith's influence on LaVern Baker's style. LaVern by all means did not imitate Bessie, but displayed a few voice characteristics similar to hers. This record embraces LaVern's ability to be inventive, but at the same time respect the music of the past. Ms. Baker's talent didn't end with just her beautiful voice; Baker's exquisite figure and inspiring personality provided her with the perfect traits for a Hollywood starlet. Her appearances on Ed Sullivan's TV program in 1955 and in Alan Freed's rock and roll movies furthered her successful career, which she so rightly deserved. Her career continued and she remained with the Atlantic label until 1964. In the late sixties as Ms. Baker's career began to slow, she performed and toured in Vietnam to entertain with the USO during the war. She remained overseas until 1988 when she was invited to attend Atlantic's fortieth anniversary commemoration in New York. Once she had returned to the states her career took off in a new direction. In 1990 she performed in the Broadway musical Black and Blue. This was followed by an opportunity to showcase some of her work on the soundtrack of the movie Dick Tracy. In the early nineties she began to record music once again and the result was a new CD, Woke Up This Mornin', which illustrated the comeback effort that highlighted Baker's still strong and enticing vocalization of some familiar standards (Dahl 1). As her career started to show signs of renewed life, she suffered from various health problems. Ms. Baker suffered from two strokes and eventually had to have both legs amputated due to complications related to diabetes. Once again LaVern was dealt a difficult hand, but she pulled through and continued to show the spunk and gutsiness she displayed years ago. Despite her illnesses she continued to perform. She was rewarded with the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Career Achievement Award and in 1991 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Along with her many accomplishments in the world of rock & roll, she is considered a true pioneer of this new age of music. She presented a variety of unique qualities in her music, which have left a mark on both black and white music charts. But on March 10, 1997, LaVern Baker passed away in a New York hospital due to heart complications. Having taken this look into history, I learned not to take what I have for granted. Women like LaVern Baker faced struggles everyday, whether in her music world or in the one sided world in which she lived. She was one of the first true musical divas who was able to push the door open a little wider for the female musical talents of the future. Listening to her music I could hear and sense the courage and strength she possessed. LaVern's sound embraces qualities of Bessies Smith, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong. Ms. Holiday’s works possess an intriguing quality, its almost as if the notes hang in the air long after she has finished singing. LaVern captures this unusual quality in her singing as well. Ms. Baker also incorporates a touch of Louis Armstrong’s rugged and deep voice into her style creating a soulful feeling as she vocalizes. Along with the others Bessie Smith's rough and soulful qualities are also adopted into LaVern's sound. Interwining the sounds and styles of these artists can not really describe but only suggest the style whick LaVern created as her own. (Soul On Fire: The Best of LaVern Baker - Click here to listen to a few samples of LaVern's best work-there's also access to her other albums and more personal info about LaVern) Although LaVern Baker's career faced many highs and lows she was always able to face the world with pride and honor. She proved to herself and the world that she could succeed in the music business despite being black and female. "The best rose to the top on vocal firepower and strength of character" (Hirshey 45) both of which LaVern Baker embodied. She was able to show women of all colors that if you fight hard enough you can reach your goals, and that women pioneers of music should be respected, honored, and cherished for what they gave the public and the world. Works Cited Dahl, Bill. "Woke up This Mornin'." Tunes.com Web site. 26 Jan 1999 <http://www.tunes.com/tunes_ cgi2/tunes/release/71824/1/4>. Futterman, Steve. "Obituary: LaVern Baker 1929-1997." Rolling Stone. 1 May 1997: 27. 18 jan 1999 < http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?ver=1&Exp…>. Gaar, Gillian G. She's A Rebel The History of Women in Rock & Roll. Seattle: Seal Press, 1992. Hirshey, Gerri. "Mothers of Invention." Rollingstone. 13 Nov. 1997: 44-52. 18 Jan 1999 <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?ver=1&Exp…>. "LaVern Baker 1991, Performer."The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Muesum Web site. 17 Jan 1999 <http://www.rockhall.com/induct/ bakelave.html>. Marsh, David. "Soul On Fire." The Addicted to Noise Web site. 17 Jan 1999 <http://atn.addict.com/html/1ofi/columns/American_Grandstand/304/index.html>. Email to schimeneck.2@wright.edu
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“Spotlight on LaVern Baker 1929-1997 “ 