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.
Back Water Blues
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night
Then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night
I woke up this mornin', can't even get out of my door
I woke up this mornin', can't even get out of my door
There's been enough trouble to make a poor girl wonder where she want to go
Then they rowed a little boat about five miles 'cross the pond
Then they rowed a little boat about five miles 'cross the pond
I packed all my clothes, throwed them in and they rowed me along
When it thunders and lightnin' and when the wind begins to blow
When it thunders and lightnin' and the wind begins to blow
There's thousands of people ain't got no place to go
Then I went and stood upon some high old lonesome hill
Then I went and stood upon some high old lonesome hill
Then looked down on the house were I used to live
Backwater
Blues done call me to pack my things and go
Backwater blues done call me to pack my things and go
'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more
Mm, I can't move no more
Mm, I can't move no more
There ain't no place for a poor old girl to go
LaVern Baker's song "Back Water Blues" is a powerful narrative of the devastating impact of natural disasters, specifically floods, to the lives of people residing in low-lying areas. The opening lines, "When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night, Then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night," draws attention to the danger lurking in the skies and how it could lead to disasters that could lead to homelessness and displacement. The chorus captures the hopelessness individuals feel when everything they are familiar with has been destroyed by the floods, singing "Backwater Blues done called me to pack my things and go 'cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more." Hence, there is a sense of loss and doom that pervades the lyrics of the song.
The second verse of the song narrates a personal experience of the singer of not being able to step out of her house because of the floodwaters. She expresses her anxiety about what the future holds for her as she wonders, "There's been enough trouble to make a poor girl wonder where she wants to go." In the third verse, the singer boarded a boat to flee the flooded area with her belongings, which depicts the harsh reality of displacement due to flooding.
Overall, the song is a poignant portrayal of the impact of natural disasters on human life, particularly highlighting the experiences of poor and marginalized communities who are most vulnerable to the harsh effects of climate change-related disasters.
Line by Line Meaning
When it rains five days and the skies turn dark as night
When it has been raining continuously for five days and the sky looks as dark as the night, it is a sign of trouble in the lowlands during the night.
I woke up this mornin', can't even get out of my door
The singer woke up in the morning but is unable to leave the house because of the severity of the situation outside.
Then they rowed a little boat about five miles 'cross the pond
To escape the situation, the singer had to travel across a pond by boat for about five miles.
When it thunders and lightnin' and when the wind begins to blow
When there is thunder and lightning with strong winds blowing, countless people become homeless, with no place to go for shelter.
Then I went and stood upon some high old lonesome hill
The artist climbed a lonely, high hill to see the house where they used to live from a high spot.
Backwater Blues done call me to pack my things and go
The Backwater Blues, which signifies disasters and sadness, had forced the singer to pack and leave the house as it had fallen down and there is no possibility of living there anymore.
Mm, I can't move no more
The situation is so overwhelming that the singer cannot move or decide what to do next.
There ain't no place for a poor old girl to go
The artist, being a poor girl, is helplessly lost and has nowhere to go to escape the current situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
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