Esther Phillips
Encyclopedia
Esther Phillips was an American
singer. Phillips was known for her R&B
vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop
, country, jazz
, blues
and soul music
.
, Texas
. When she was an adolescent
, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts
area of Los Angeles
. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at age fourteen, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis
. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records
and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as 'Little Esther Phillips' (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign).
record
was "Double Crossing Blues
", recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records
. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker
on "Mistrusting Blues
", which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S.
Billboard
R&B chart
in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year. Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records
.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugs.
In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers
re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Lelan’s Lenox label
.
," with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop
listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records
. Her cover
of The Beatles
' song "And I Love Him
" nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK
for her first overseas performances.
She had other hits in the 1960s on the label
like the critically acclaimed Jimmy Radcliffe
song "Try Me" that featured the saxophone
work of King Curtis
and is often mistakenly credited as the James Brown
song of the same title, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependency. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility where she met fellow vocalist Sam Fletcher. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Leland Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles
and re-signed with the Atlantic label.Her friendship with Sam Fletcher resulted in a late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club produced the album Burnin. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival
in 1970.
, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," - an account of drug use — was lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award
. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin
, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.
Taylor continued to cut albums with her until in 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco
-style update of Dinah Washington
's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes
". It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S.
, and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart
. On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night
hosted by Candice Bergen
. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker
on tenor sax, David Sanborn
on alto sax, and Randy Brecker
on trumpet to Steve Khan
on guitar and Don Grolnick
on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, Winning with "Turn Me Out," which reached #85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.
, California
in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver
and kidney
failure due to drug use. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis, and was buried in the Morning Light section, at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
in Los Angeles
. The bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage, "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" -St. John 14:2
N.B. * with Johnny Otis Orchestra ** with Big Al Downing
.
All Little Esther Federal singles:
(All released on 45 rpm and 78 rpm records)
1951
Federal 12016 - "The Deacon Moves In" (with the Dominoes)/"Other Lips, Other Arms"
Federal 12023 - "I'm A Bad, Bad Girl"/"Don't Make A Fool Out Of Me"
Federal 12036 - "Lookin' For A Man To Satisfy My Soul"/"Heart To Heart" (with the Dominoes)
Federal 12042 - "Cryin' And Singin' The Blues"/"Tell Him That I Need Him"
1952
Federal 12055 - "Ring-A-Ding-Doo" (with Bobby Nunn)/"The Cryin' Blues"
Federal 12063 - "Summertime"/"The Storm"
Federal 12065 - "Better Beware"/"I'll Be There"
Federal 12078 - "Aged And Mellow"/"Bring My Lovin' Back To Me"
Federal 12090 - "Ramblin' Blues"/"Somebody New"
Federal 12100 - "Mainliner" (with 4 Jacks)/"Saturday Night Daddy" (with Bobby Nunn)
1953
Federal 12108 - "Last Laugh Blues" (with Little Willie Littlefield)/"Flesh, Blood And Bones"
Federal 12115 - "Turn The Lamp Down Low" (with Little Willie Littlefield)/"Hollerin' And Screamin'
Federal 12122 - "You Took My Love Too Fast" (with Bobby Nunn)/"Street Lights"
Federal 12126 - "Hound Dog"/"Sweet Lips"
Federal 12142 - "Cherry Wine"/"Love Oh Love"
(Taken from the original defunct Federal Records log books which I copied decades ago)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer. Phillips was known for her R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, country, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and soul music
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...
.
Early life
Born Esther Mae Jones in GalvestonGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. When she was an adolescent
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts
Watts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...
area of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at age fourteen, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records
Modern Records
Modern Records was an American record label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. In the 1960s, Modern Records went bankrupt and ceased operations, but the catalogue went with the management into what became Kent Records. This back catalogue was eventually licensed to the UK label...
and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as 'Little Esther Phillips' (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign).
Early career
Her first hitHit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was "Double Crossing Blues
Double Crossing Blues
"Double Crossing Blues is a 1950 collaborative song by Johnny Otis Quintette, The Robins, and Little Esther. The single went to number one on the R&B chart...
", recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker
Mel Walker
Melvin Lightsey , known professionally as Mel Walker, was an American R&B singer best known for his recordings in the early 1950s as lead male singer with the Johnny Otis Orchestra....
on "Mistrusting Blues
Mistrusting Blues
"Mistrusting Blues" is a 1950 single by the Johnny Otis Orchesta. The single featured Little Esther and Mel Walker on vocals and was the second collaboration for Johnny Otis and Little Esther. "Mistrusting Blues" became their second number one on the R&B chart, which it topped for four...
", which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year. Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records
Federal Records
Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. But also hillbilly and rockabilly recordings were released,...
.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugs.
In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Lelan’s Lenox label
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,...
.
Comeback
Phillips ultimately got well enough to launch a comeback in 1962. Now billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, "Release MeRelease Me (1946 song)
"Release Me" is a popular song written by Eddie Miller, Robert Yount, and James Pebworth , published in 1946.Miller wrote the song in 1946 but could not get anyone to record it for years, so he recorded it himself in 1953. Shortly afterward it was covered by Jimmy Heap, and with even better success...
," with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Her cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song "And I Love Him
And I Love Her
"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney . The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard.The Beatles performed "And I...
" nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK
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...
for her first overseas performances.
She had other hits in the 1960s on the label
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
like the critically acclaimed Jimmy Radcliffe
Jimmy Radcliffe
James "Jimmy" Radcliffe was an American soul singer, composer, arranger, conductor and record producer.-Biography:James Radcliffe was born in New York City...
song "Try Me" that featured the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
work of King Curtis
King Curtis
Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
and is often mistakenly credited as the James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
song of the same title, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependency. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility where she met fellow vocalist Sam Fletcher. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Leland Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and re-signed with the Atlantic label.Her friendship with Sam Fletcher resulted in a late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club produced the album Burnin. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
in 1970.
The 1970s
One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was in 1972 with her first album for Kudu Records. The song penned by Gil Scott-HeronGil Scott-Heron
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," - an account of drug use — was lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.
Taylor continued to cut albums with her until in 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-style update of Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes
What a Diff'rence a Day Made
"What a Diff'rence a Day Made" is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Méndez Grever , a Mexican composer, in 1934. Originally, the song was known as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado...
". It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
hosted by Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
on tenor sax, David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
on alto sax, and Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
on trumpet to Steve Khan
Steve Khan
Steve Khan is an American jazz guitarist.Born in Los Angeles, California, Khan is known for his work with artists such as Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Michael Franks, Hubert Laws, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, James Brown, Maynard Ferguson, and Weather Report...
on guitar and Don Grolnick
Don Grolnick
Don Grolnick was an American jazz and pop pianist and composer, most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Bob Mintzer, Dave Holland and Steely Dan...
on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, Winning with "Turn Me Out," which reached #85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.
Death
Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in CarsonCarson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
failure due to drug use. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis, and was buried in the Morning Light section, at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage, "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" -St. John 14:2
Grammy nominations
- Career Nominations: 4
Esther Phillips Grammy Award Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
HistoryYear Category Title Genre Label Result 1970 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female "Set Me Free" R&B Atlantic Nominee 1972 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female "From a Whisper to a Scream" R&B Kudu/CTI Nominee 1973 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female "Alone Again (Naturally) Alone Again (Naturally)"Alone Again " is a song by Irish singer–songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan. It was released in 1972, and in total spent six weeks, non-consecutively, at #1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In Casey Kasem's American 'Top 40 of the 1970s', "Alone Again " ranked as the fifth...
"R&B Kudu/CTI Nominee 1975 Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes What a Diff'rence a Day Made"What a Diff'rence a Day Made" is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Méndez Grever , a Mexican composer, in 1934. Originally, the song was known as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado...
"R&B Kudu/CTI Nominee
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Billboard Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Hollerin' and Screaming | Yorkshire | |
| 1963 | Release Me | Lenox | 46 |
| 1965 | And I Love Him! | Atlantic | |
| 1966 | Esther Phillips Sings | ||
| The Country Side of Esther | |||
| 1970 | Live at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper | ||
| Burnin (Live) | 7 | ||
| 1972 | From a Whisper to a Scream | Kudu/CTI | 16 |
| Alone Again (Naturally) | Kudu/CTI | 15 | |
| 1974 | Black-Eyed Blues | 15 | |
| 1975 | Performance | 27 | |
| Esther Phillips and Joe Beck | 3 | ||
| What a Diff'rence a Day Makes | Kudu/CTI | 13 | |
| 1976 | Capricorn Princess | Kudu/CTI | 23 |
| Confessin' the Blues | Atlantic | 26 | |
| For All We Know | Kudu/CTI | 32 | |
| 1977 | You've Come a Long Way, Baby | Mercury | |
| 1978 | All About Esther | ||
| 1979 | Here's Esther, Are You Ready | 47 | |
| 1981 | Good Black Is Hard to Crack | ||
| 1986 | A Way to Say Goodbye | Muse |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1950 | "Double Crossing Blues Double Crossing Blues "Double Crossing Blues is a 1950 collaborative song by Johnny Otis Quintette, The Robins, and Little Esther. The single went to number one on the R&B chart... "* |
- | 1 | - | - |
| "Mistrusting Blues Mistrusting Blues "Mistrusting Blues" is a 1950 single by the Johnny Otis Orchesta. The single featured Little Esther and Mel Walker on vocals and was the second collaboration for Johnny Otis and Little Esther. "Mistrusting Blues" became their second number one on the R&B chart, which it topped for four... "* |
- | 1 | - | - | |
| "Misery"* | - | 9 | - | - | |
| "Cupid Blues"* | - | 1 | - | - | |
| "Deceivin' Blues"* | - | 4 | - | - | |
| "Wedding Boogie"* | - | 6 | - | - | |
| "Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues)"* | - | 6 | - | - | |
| 1952 | "Ring-a-Ding-Doo" | - | 8 | - | - |
| 1962 | "Release Me Release Me (1946 song) "Release Me" is a popular song written by Eddie Miller, Robert Yount, and James Pebworth , published in 1946.Miller wrote the song in 1946 but could not get anyone to record it for years, so he recorded it himself in 1953. Shortly afterward it was covered by Jimmy Heap, and with even better success... " |
8 | 1 | - | - |
| 1963 | "I Really Don't Want To Know" | 61 | - | - | - |
| "Am I That Easy To Forget" | 112 | - | - | - | |
| "You Never Miss Your Water (Til the Well Runs Dry)"** | 73 | - | - | - | |
| "If You Want It (I've Got It)"** | 129 | - | - | - | |
| 1965 | "And I Love Him And I Love Her "And I Love Her" is a song recorded by The Beatles, written mainly by Paul McCartney . The fifth track on their third album, A Hard Day's Night, it was released 20 July 1964 with "If I Fell" as a single by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching #12 in Billboard.The Beatles performed "And I... " |
54 | 11 | 14 | - |
| "Moonglow and Theme from Picnic" | 115 | - | 28 | - | |
| "Let Me Know When It's Over" | 129 | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | "When a Woman Loves a Man" | 73 | 26 | - | - |
| 1969 | "Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry" | 121 | 35 | - | - |
| 1970 | "Set Me Free" | 118 | 39 | - | - |
| 1972 | "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" | 122 | 40 | - | - |
| "Baby, I'm For Real" | - | 38 | - | - | |
| "I've Never Found a Man (To Love Me Like You Do)" | 106 | 17 | - | - | |
| 1975 | "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes What a Diff'rence a Day Made "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Méndez Grever , a Mexican composer, in 1934. Originally, the song was known as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado... " |
20 | 10 | 29 | 6 |
| 1976 | "For All We Know" | - | 98 | - | - |
| 1983 | "Turn Me Out" | - | 85 | - | - |
N.B. * with Johnny Otis Orchestra ** with Big Al Downing
Al Downing (musician)
Al Downing , later known as Big Al Downing, was an entertainer, singer, songwriter, and pianist. He received the Billboard's New Artist of the Year and the Single of the Year Award in 1979. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry...
.
All Little Esther Federal singles:
(All released on 45 rpm and 78 rpm records)
1951
Federal 12016 - "The Deacon Moves In" (with the Dominoes)/"Other Lips, Other Arms"
Federal 12023 - "I'm A Bad, Bad Girl"/"Don't Make A Fool Out Of Me"
Federal 12036 - "Lookin' For A Man To Satisfy My Soul"/"Heart To Heart" (with the Dominoes)
Federal 12042 - "Cryin' And Singin' The Blues"/"Tell Him That I Need Him"
1952
Federal 12055 - "Ring-A-Ding-Doo" (with Bobby Nunn)/"The Cryin' Blues"
Federal 12063 - "Summertime"/"The Storm"
Federal 12065 - "Better Beware"/"I'll Be There"
Federal 12078 - "Aged And Mellow"/"Bring My Lovin' Back To Me"
Federal 12090 - "Ramblin' Blues"/"Somebody New"
Federal 12100 - "Mainliner" (with 4 Jacks)/"Saturday Night Daddy" (with Bobby Nunn)
1953
Federal 12108 - "Last Laugh Blues" (with Little Willie Littlefield)/"Flesh, Blood And Bones"
Federal 12115 - "Turn The Lamp Down Low" (with Little Willie Littlefield)/"Hollerin' And Screamin'
Federal 12122 - "You Took My Love Too Fast" (with Bobby Nunn)/"Street Lights"
Federal 12126 - "Hound Dog"/"Sweet Lips"
Federal 12142 - "Cherry Wine"/"Love Oh Love"
(Taken from the original defunct Federal Records log books which I copied decades ago)
Filmography
Television- 1965: The Music of Lennon & McCartney, musical guest
- 1970: The Barbara McNairBarbara McNairBarbara McNair was an African American singer and actress.Born Barbara Jean McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago...
Show, musical guest - 1970: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, musical guest - 1975: Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, musical guest
External links
- [ Allmusic biography]