LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.

Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964.

A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government.

All Music Guide

Lavern Baker
Baby
Baby Don't You Do It
Batman To The Rescue
Call Me Darling
I Need You So
I'm Gonna Get You (with Jackie Wilson)
I'm Still Gonna Love Him (with Jackie Wislon)
I'm The One To Do It
Let Me Belong To You
Love Has Ended
Nothing Like Being In Love
One Monkey (Don't Stop The Show)
Play It Fair
Please Don't Hurt Me (with Jackie Wilson
Pledging My Love
Think Twice (with Jackie Wilson)
Wrapped, Tied And Tangled