R&B's LaVern Baker Dead

Tue., Mar. 11, 1997 2:45 PM PST by

LaVern Baker, the '50s pioneer R&B singer who made Jim Dandy a household name and earned a spot in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, died in New York Monday, due to complications of diabetes.

Baker, born Delores Williams, made her mark with such hits as "Jim Dandy," "Jim Dandy Got Married," "Tweedle-Dee" and "I Cried a Tear". As with many R&B artists of the time, Baker's songs were often covered by white artists, whose success cut into her record sales.

The feisty Baker once left cover singer Georgia Gibbs her flight-insurance policy, explaining to Gibbs in a letter: "Since I'll be away and you won't have anything new to copy, you might as well take this."

She fell into obscurity in the mid-'60s, and a visit to the Philippines for medical treatment in 1969 turned into a nearly 20-year-stay. During this time, the Chicago-born Baker managed a nightclub near a military base, singing there on the weekends.

She started a climb back up the music ladder in 1988, when Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun invited her to perform at the record label's 40th anniversary celebration. Baker then went on to record songs for the Shag and Dick Tracy soundtracks and perform in Broadway's Black and Blue review, earning her rave reviews.

She was 67 when she died.

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