Betty Everett
Encyclopedia
Betty Everett was an African-American soul
singer and pianist
, best known for her biggest hit single
, the million-selling "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)
".
and singing gospel music
in church at the age of nine. She moved to Chicago
in 1957 to pursue a career in secular music. She recorded for various small local Chicago soul
labels
, before she was signed in 1963 by Calvin Carter, A&R
musical director of fast-growing independent label, Vee-Jay Records
.
An initial single failed, but her second Vee-Jay release, a bluesy version of "You're No Good
" (written by Clint Ballard, Jr.
and later a #1 hit for Linda Ronstadt
), just missed the U.S.
top 50. Her next single, the catchy "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", was her biggest solo hit. The Rudy Clark song climbed to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made #1 on the Cashbox R&B chart for three weeks.
Her other hits included "I Can't Hear You",(covered by numerous artists, including Dusty Springfield
, Helen Reddy
, and others), "Getting Mighty Crowded" (covered by Elvis Costello
in 1980), and several duets with Jerry Butler
, including "Let It Be Me" which made the US Top 5 in 1964 and was another Cashbox R&B number 1. After Vee-Jay folded in 1966, she recorded for several other labels, including Uni, Fantasy, and ABC.
After an unsuccessful year with ABC, a move to Uni brought another major success in 1969 with "There'll Come A Time", co-written by producer and lead singer of The Chi-Lites, Eugene Record. This rose to #2 in the Billboard R&B listing (#26 on the Hot 100) and topped the Cashbox chart. However, most of her later work would not match the success she had with Vee-Jay, although there were other R&B hits such as "It's Been A Long Time" and "I Got To Tell Somebody", which re-united her with Calvin Carter in 1970. The 1975 album Happy Endings had arrangements by Gene Page
and includes a cover of "God Only Knows
" by The Beach Boys
.
Her final recording came out in 1980, again produced by Carter. Her awards include the BMI
Pop Award (both for 1964 and 1991) and the BMI R&B Award (for 1964).
, where she was involved in the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and the churches of the Fountain of Life
and New Covenant
. In 1989, a personal manager of Everett at the time brought her to the attention of Worldwide TMA, a management consulting firm in Chicago under the direction of Steve Arvey and Scott Pollack, former Chairman of The Chicago Songwriters Association, and started work on reviving Everett's singing career.
In 1990, her signature hit, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" had been used in the movie, Mermaids
for the end credits, recorded by the star of the film, Cher
. This reached #1 in the United Kingdom
and charted well elsewhere in Europe. An article appeared in a British Sunday newspaper The Mail On Sunday
with the headline reading; "Betty Everett Gets Her "Cher" Of A Hit". Fans (according to the article in The Mail On Sunday) were calling the London radio stations asking for the original to be played instead.
Everett had secured an indie label deal in the USA (Trumpet Records-unreleased) and a new single "Don't Cry Now" had been recorded, penned by Larry Weiss. In connection to the preceding events, Everett was booked and aired a 20-minute appearance on the hit TV show at the time, Current Affair. She was then booked to star at the 1991 Chicago Blues Festival
which aired live worldwide on over 400 PBS radio channels, marking Everett's last live appearance on radio. Later that year, two concerts were booked for consecutive weekends in late October 1991; one at Trump's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, the other at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. All had been arranged through management and Charles McMillan, Jerry Butler's longtime friend and personal manager. However, Everett declined to show for the engagements. Despite exposure, she was unable to resurrect her career because of health issues.
She was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Hall Of Fame in 1996 and, about four years later, made her last public appearance on the PBS special Doo Wop 51, along with her former singing partner, Jerry Butler. This, according to The Independent
, a UK-based newspaper
(circa August 2001) was met with raves about the brief reunion where she "brought the house down" (quoted from The Independent). Butler, in his autobiography, "Only The Strong Survive", compared Betty with Gladys Knight as a singer in that she seemed to do everything so effortlessly.
Everett died at her home in Beloit on August 19, 2001; she was 61 years old.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, best known for her biggest hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, the million-selling "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
"The Shoop Shoop Song " is a song written by Rudy Clark. The song was made a hit when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit #1 on the Cashbox magazine R&B charts with it in 1964...
".
Early career
Everett began playing the pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and singing gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
in church at the age of nine. She moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1957 to pursue a career in secular music. She recorded for various small local Chicago soul
Chicago soul
Chicago soul is a style of soul music that arose during the 1960s in Chicago. Along with Detroit, the home of Motown, and Memphis, with its hard-edged, gritty performers , Chicago and the Chicago soul style helped spur the album-oriented soul revolution of the early 1970s.The sound of Chicago...
labels
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, before she was signed in 1963 by Calvin Carter, A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
musical director of fast-growing independent label, Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
.
An initial single failed, but her second Vee-Jay release, a bluesy version of "You're No Good
You're No Good
"You're No Good" is a song written by Clint Ballard, Jr. which first charted for Betty Everett in 1963 and in 1975 was a #1 hit for Linda Ronstadt....
" (written by Clint Ballard, Jr.
Clint Ballard, Jr.
Clint Ballard, Jr. was an American songwriter. He wrote two Billboard Hot 100 number one hits. The first was "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders in 1965...
and later a #1 hit for Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
), just missed the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
top 50. Her next single, the catchy "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)", was her biggest solo hit. The Rudy Clark song climbed to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made #1 on the Cashbox R&B chart for three weeks.
Her other hits included "I Can't Hear You",(covered by numerous artists, including Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
, and others), "Getting Mighty Crowded" (covered by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
in 1980), and several duets with Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler (singer)
Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
, including "Let It Be Me" which made the US Top 5 in 1964 and was another Cashbox R&B number 1. After Vee-Jay folded in 1966, she recorded for several other labels, including Uni, Fantasy, and ABC.
After an unsuccessful year with ABC, a move to Uni brought another major success in 1969 with "There'll Come A Time", co-written by producer and lead singer of The Chi-Lites, Eugene Record. This rose to #2 in the Billboard R&B listing (#26 on the Hot 100) and topped the Cashbox chart. However, most of her later work would not match the success she had with Vee-Jay, although there were other R&B hits such as "It's Been A Long Time" and "I Got To Tell Somebody", which re-united her with Calvin Carter in 1970. The 1975 album Happy Endings had arrangements by Gene Page
Gene Page
Eugene Edgar "Gene" Page, Jr. was an influential conductor, composer, arranger and record producer most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s....
and includes a cover of "God Only Knows
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...
" by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
.
Her final recording came out in 1980, again produced by Carter. Her awards include the BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Pop Award (both for 1964 and 1991) and the BMI R&B Award (for 1964).
Later career
Living with her sister from the 1980s until her death, Everett resided in Beloit, WisconsinBeloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, Beloit had a population of 36,966. The greater Beloit area is home to more than 91,000 residents.-Claim to fame:...
, where she was involved in the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and the churches of the Fountain of Life
Fountain of Life
The Fountain of Life, or in its earlier form the Fountain of Living Waters, is a Christian iconography symbol associated with baptism, first appearing in the 5th century in illuminated manuscripts and later in other art forms such as panel paintings....
and New Covenant
New Covenant
The New Covenant is a concept originally derived from the Hebrew Bible. The term "New Covenant" is used in the Bible to refer to an epochal relationship of restoration and peace following a period of trial and judgment...
. In 1989, a personal manager of Everett at the time brought her to the attention of Worldwide TMA, a management consulting firm in Chicago under the direction of Steve Arvey and Scott Pollack, former Chairman of The Chicago Songwriters Association, and started work on reviving Everett's singing career.
In 1990, her signature hit, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" had been used in the movie, Mermaids
Mermaids (film)
Mermaids is a 1990 comedy-drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder , and Christina Ricci in her first film role...
for the end credits, recorded by the star of the film, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
. This reached #1 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and charted well elsewhere in Europe. An article appeared in a British Sunday newspaper The Mail On Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
with the headline reading; "Betty Everett Gets Her "Cher" Of A Hit". Fans (according to the article in The Mail On Sunday) were calling the London radio stations asking for the original to be played instead.
Everett had secured an indie label deal in the USA (Trumpet Records-unreleased) and a new single "Don't Cry Now" had been recorded, penned by Larry Weiss. In connection to the preceding events, Everett was booked and aired a 20-minute appearance on the hit TV show at the time, Current Affair. She was then booked to star at the 1991 Chicago Blues Festival
Chicago Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
which aired live worldwide on over 400 PBS radio channels, marking Everett's last live appearance on radio. Later that year, two concerts were booked for consecutive weekends in late October 1991; one at Trump's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, the other at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. All had been arranged through management and Charles McMillan, Jerry Butler's longtime friend and personal manager. However, Everett declined to show for the engagements. Despite exposure, she was unable to resurrect her career because of health issues.
She was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Hall Of Fame in 1996 and, about four years later, made her last public appearance on the PBS special Doo Wop 51, along with her former singing partner, Jerry Butler. This, according to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, a UK-based newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
(circa August 2001) was met with raves about the brief reunion where she "brought the house down" (quoted from The Independent). Butler, in his autobiography, "Only The Strong Survive", compared Betty with Gladys Knight as a singer in that she seemed to do everything so effortlessly.
Everett died at her home in Beloit on August 19, 2001; she was 61 years old.
Albums
- 1962: Betty Everett & Ketty Lester (with Ketty LesterKetty LesterKetty Lester is an American singer and actress, who is best known for her 1962 hit single, "Love Letters", which reached the Top 5 of the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom.-Life and career:...
) - 1963: You're No Good (reissued in 1964 as It's in His Kiss)- Vee Jay
- 1964: Delicious Together (with Jerry ButlerJerry Butler (singer)Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
) - Vee Jay - 1965: The Very Best of Betty Everett - Vee Jay
- 1968: I Need You So - UA/Sunset (reissued material)
- 1969: There'll Come a Time - Uni
- 1970: Betty Everett Starring
- 1974: Love Rhymes - Fantasy
- 1975: Happy Endings - Fantasy
Compilation albums
- 1964: The Very Best of Betty Everett
- 1969: Betty Everett and the Impressions (with The ImpressionsThe Impressions (American band)The Impressions are an American music group from Chicago, originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B....
) - 1993: The Shoop Shoop Song
- 1995: The Fantasy Years
- 1998: Best of Betty Everett: Let It Be Me
- 2000: The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)"
Selected singles
- 1963: "The Prince of Players"
- 1963: "You're No GoodYou're No Good"You're No Good" is a song written by Clint Ballard, Jr. which first charted for Betty Everett in 1963 and in 1975 was a #1 hit for Linda Ronstadt....
" (US #51) - 1964: "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)"The Shoop Shoop Song " is a song written by Rudy Clark. The song was made a hit when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit #1 on the Cashbox magazine R&B charts with it in 1964...
" (US #6)(UK#31) - 1964: "I Can't Hear YouI Can't Hear You"I Can't Hear You No More" is a Gerry Goffin/Carole King composition introduced as "I Can't Hear You" in 1964 by Betty Everett and most successful as a 1976 Top 40 single by Helen Reddy....
" (US #66) - 1964: "Let It Be Me" (duet with Jerry ButlerJerry Butler (singer)Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
) (US #5) - 1965: "Getting Mighty Crowded" (US #65)(UK #20)
- 1965: "Smile" (duet with Jerry ButlerJerry Butler (singer)Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
) (US #42) - 1965: "I'm Gonna Be Ready" (US Cashbox R&B #41)
- 1969: "There'll Come a Time" (US #26, US R&B #2)
- 1969: "I Can't Say No to You" (US #78, US R&B #29)
- 1969: "It's Been a Long Time" (US #96, US R&B #17)
- 1970: "Unlucky Girl" (US R&B #46)
- 1970: "I Got to Tell Somebody" (US #96, US R&B #22)
- 1971: "Ain't Nothing Gonna Change Me" (US R&B #32)
- 1973: "Danger" (US R&B #79)
- 1974: "Sweet Dan" (US R&B #38)
- 1980: "Hungry for You"