Baker was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally referred to as Delores Williams because of an early marriage to Eugene Williams; in the late 1940s she was identified in RCA Victor record company files as "D. L. McMurley." She was the niece of blues singer Merline Johnson and was also related to Memphis Minnie.
She began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa around 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, and first recorded under that name in 1949. She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, and then became LaVern Baker when singing with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.
In 1953 she signed for Atlantic Records as a solo artist, her first release being "Soul on Fire". Her first hit came in early 1955, with the Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" reaching #4 on the R&B chart and #14 on the national US pop charts. Georgia Gibbs' note-for-note cover of Baker's "Tweedle Dee" reached #1; subsequently Baker made an unsuccessful attempt to sue her and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations.
Baker had a succession of hits on the R&B charts over the next couple of years with her backing group The Gliders, including "Bop-Ting-A-Ling" (#3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (#2 R&B), and "Still" (#4 R&B). At the end of 1956 she had another smash hit with "Jim Dandy" (#1 R&B, #17 pop). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Further hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (#7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear" (#2 R&B, #6 pop in 1959), "I Waited Too Long" (#5 R&B, #3 pop, written by Neil Sedaka), "Saved" (#17 R&B, written by Leiber and Stoller), and "See See Rider" (#9 R&B in 1963).
In addition to singing, Baker also did some work with Ed Sullivan and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1964, she recorded a Bessie Smith tribute album, before leaving Atlantic and joining Brunswick Records, where she recorded the album "Let Me Belong to You".
In 1966, Baker recorded a duet single with Jackie Wilson. The controversial song, "Think Twice", featured raunchy lyrics that were not considered appropriate for airplay at that time or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the X-rated version with the raunchy lyrics.
In the late 1960s, Baker became seriously ill after a trip to Vietnam to entertain American soldiers. While recovering at the US Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, her husband, Slappy White filed for a divorce. A friend recommended that she stay on as the entertainment director at the Marine Corps Staff NCO club there, and she remained there for 22 years.
In 1988 she returned to perform at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary. She then worked on the soundtracks to films such as Shag, (1989), Dick Tracy, (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991), which were all issued on CD.
In 1990, she made her Broadway debut replacing Ruth Brown as star of the hit musical Black and Blue. In 1991, Rhino Records released a new album Live in Hollywood recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, as well as a compilation of her greatest Atlantic hits entitled Soul on Fire. In 1992, she recorded a well-received studio album, Woke Up This Morning, for DRG Records. She continued performing after having both legs amputated from diabetes complications in 1994 and made her last recording, "Jump Into the Fire," for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD, For the Love of Harry on the Music Masters label.
She received the 1990 Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, Baker became the second female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following Aretha Franklin in 1987. Her song "Jim Dandy" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and was ranked #343 on the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
LaVern Baker died from cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67. Originally buried in an unmarked plot in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, her grave received a headstone on May 4, 2008, after a fundraiser was held by local historians.
After You
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After you've gone there's no denyin',
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad.
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it.
There'll come a time when you'll regret it,
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine
And you'll want me only after you've gone,
After you've gone away.
After you've gone and left me cryin',
After you've gone there's no denyin',
You're gonna feel blue,
And you're gonna feel sad,
You're gonna feel bad.
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it,
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But, baby, think what you're doin'.
I'm gonna haunt you so,
I'm gonna taunt you so.
It's gonna drive you to ruin after you've gone,
After you've gone away.
The lyrics of LaVern Baker’s song “After You’re Gone” tell the story of a person who has been left by their lover and who predicts that the one who left will one day experience the same heartache they feel. The singer first acknowledges the moment of separation, saying that after the loss, the one who left will feel blue and sad. They then say, “You’ll miss the dearest pal you’ve ever had,” indicating that they themselves were someone dear to the other person. Despite this, the singer recognizes that there will eventually come a shift in feelings for the one who left. They will feel regret for what they have done, and their heart will break like the singer's has.
The singer acknowledges that the one who left might eventually realize that they made a mistake, but they caution them that it will be too late. In the third verse, the singer goes further and warns their former lover that they intend to make their life miserable. They say, “I’m gonna haunt you so, I’m gonna taunt you so. / It’s gonna drive you to ruin after you’ve gone.” The song ends with the repeated line “After you’ve gone away,” which emphasizes the sense of finality caused by the separation.
Overall, this song is a warning, a lament, and even a threat. It speaks to the pain caused by a relationship ending, but it also acknowledges the potential consequences for the one who leaves. Through its evocative lyrics and skilled delivery, “After You’re Gone” expresses the complexity of love and its aftermath.
Line by Line Meaning
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you have departed and left me sobbing
After you've gone there's no denyin'
Without question, once you depart
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad.
You will feel disheartened and sorrowful
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had.
You'll yearn for the dearest friend that you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it.
There will be an instance, remember that.
There'll come a time when you'll regret it,
You'll experience remorse later on
Someday, when you grow lonely
At a specific time when you feel alone
Your heart will break like mine
Your heart will shatter like mine
And you'll want me only after you've gone,
Only when you have left, you'll desire me
After you've gone and left me cryin',
Once you have left, and I'm tearful.
You're gonna feel blue,
You'll be glum
And you're gonna feel sad,
You'll experience sadness
You're gonna feel bad.
You'll feel remorseful
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll yearn, and you'll yearn
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had.
And you'll miss the finest friend you've ever had
But, baby, think what you're doin'.
But, dear, consider your actions
I'm gonna haunt you so,
I will torment you fiercely
I'm gonna taunt you so.
I will tease you relentlessly
It's gonna drive you to ruin after you've gone,
It will cause your downfall after you depart.
After you've gone away.
When you have left.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Henry Creamer, Turner Layton, Ray Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ramon alfredo Rebai
una de las mejores versiones,de las decenas que existen de este clàsico, por calidad de voz y el sentimiento con que es cantado por esta maravillosa interprete.
MORETHANJAZZ SPAIN
Un timbre de voz precioso y una interpretación fantástica.
chinalaine2
¡Qué gran voz la de LaVern Baker! En este tema lo borda...!!
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a 73yo Aussie fan.