Cat. No. VV 1245: LaVERN BAKER ~ HER GREATEST RECORDINGS. ATCO RECORDS SD 33-372

USED VINYL RECORD. PART OF A COLLECTION NOW UP FOR SALE.

THIS SELECTION IS VOLUME TWO IN A SIX VOLUME SERIES RELEASED IN 1971 ENTITLED "GREATEST RECORDINGS" BY ATCO RECORDS. THIS VOLUME FOCUSES ON THE CAREER OF LaVERN BAKER.

LaVERN BEGAN SINGING IN CHICAGO CLUBS SUCH AS THE "CLUB DeLISA" IN 1946, OFTEN BILLED AS "LITTLE MISS SHARECROPPER", 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. LaVERN LATER CHANGED HER NAME BRIEFLY TO BEA BAKER WHEN RECORDING FOR OKEH RECORDS IN 1951, THEN SWITCHED TO DELORES BAKER AND THEN WAS BILLED AS LaVERN BAKER WHEN SHE SANG WITH TOM RHODES AND HID BAND IN 1952.

IN 1953, LaVERN SIGNED WITH ATLANTIC RECORDS AS A SOLO ARTIST, HER FIRST RELEASE BEING "SOUL ON FIRE". HER FIRST HIT CAME IN 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 A MILLION COPIES

OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS LaVERN HAD A SUCCESSION OF HITS FOR ATLANTIC INCLUDING "BOP-TING-A-LING" (#3 R&B), "PLAY IT FAIR" (#2 R&B) AND "STILL" (#4 R&B), "JIM DANDY" (#1 R&B, #17 POP), "JIM DANDY GOT MARRIED" (#17 R&B) AND MANY MORE SEVERAL OF WHICH BECAME MILLION SELLERS. SHE EXPERIENCED SUCCESS WITH BOTH POP AND R&B ARTISTS AND SHE WAS ONE OF THE KEY MUSICIANS CREATING CROSS-OVER SUCCESS FOR R&B. IN 1958, LaVERN RECORDED THE BESSIE SMITH TRIBUTE ALBUM "LaVERN BAKER SINGS BESSIE SMITH". SHE THEN LEFT ATLANTIC FOR BRUNSWICK RECORDS.

THIS SELECTION PRESENTS FOURTEEN OF LaVERN'S BEST THAT SHE RECORDED FOR ATLANTIC. AGAIN THE SLEEVE IS A BI-FOLD SLEEVE WITH EXTENSIVE LINER NOTES BY "DR. DEMENTO" OF KMPX-FM, SAN FRANCISCO. THE SLEEVE IS GRADED VERY GOOD WITH SOME MINOR WEAR ALONG THE SPINE AND BOTH TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES BUT NOTHING TOO DRASTIC. THE RECORD IS GRADED AS NEAR MINT.

TRACK LISTING: Side 1 - Jim Dandy / Tweedle Dee / I Cried A Tear / Soul On Fire / Tomorrow Night / C. C. Rider / Saved. Side 2 - Shake A Hand / Bumblebee / Substitute / Still / Just A Closer Walk With Thee / Bop-Ting-A-Ling / Tra La La.

12" VINYL RECORD