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.
Humpty Dumpty Heart
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think it's divine, do you?
You're a crazy Humpty Dumpty heart.
You're letting a grin kid you,
You never did win, did you?
Just a silly Humpty Dumpty heart.
Don't mean to criticize, or say I'm wise,
But if you will just recall, you sat on a garden wall,
You'll still have a chance won't you?
You sure want romance, don't you
Hope, you're lucky, Humpty Dumpty heart.
The lyrics to LaVern Baker's song "Humpty Dumpty Heart" are about heartbreak and hope in a relationship. The singer addresses someone who is clearly love-struck, asking who is filling their head with ideas of love and devotion. The lyrics suggest that the listener's heart is "crazy" and "silly," comparing it to the famously fragile Humpty Dumpty. The singer then warns the listener not to get carried away by their emotions, reminding them of the consequences of taking risks with love ("you sat on a garden wall / And you know what happened"). Despite this caution, however, the singer still encourages the listener to pursue romance, acknowledging their desire for it and hoping that luck will be on their side.
The imagery of Humpty Dumpty is significant in this song, as it represents both the fragility of the listener's heart and the potential for disastrous consequences if they are not careful. The singer's tone is both critical and supportive, acknowledging the listener's vulnerability while cautioning against recklessness. Overall, the lyrics suggest that while love can be risky and uncertain, it is still worth pursuing.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's giving that line to you?
Who is trying to deceive you with those words?
You think it's divine, do you?
You believe that those words are heavenly or sacred.
You're a crazy Humpty Dumpty heart.
You're an unstable and foolish heart that's easily broken.
You're letting a grin kid you,
You're letting a smile deceive you.
You never did win, did you?
You have never really succeeded, have you?
Just a silly Humpty Dumpty heart.
You're just a foolish and fragile heart like Humpty Dumpty.
Don't mean to criticize, or say I'm wise,
I don't want to be judgmental or claim to know better.
But if you will just recall, you sat on a garden wall,
But if you remember, you were once in a vulnerable position.
And you know what happened
And we both know what the outcome was.
You'll still have a chance won't you?
You'll still have an opportunity, right?
You sure want romance, don't you
You definitely desire a romantic relationship, don't you?
Hope, you're lucky, Humpty Dumpty heart.
I hope you'll have good luck, my fragile and foolish heart.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Boye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Richiegems
A great song like that should have topped the charts back then. I can't believe it only reached # 71 on the US charts. It must have not been
played enough on the radio.
Laura Lodder-Beeby
It made #17 on the CHUM chart in Canada.
AaronRecords Gomez
Because there was one huge obstacle, and that was called Segregation
Stolen Chanel
My grandmother loved this woman so much that she named her first child after her.❤
Sonja Lewis
What a character she was. So many expressions in that face--not like most singers. A LIVE performance for sure, and her Jim Dandy boyfriend played catch-up just in time!
sonny geert
Wow, that's a great clip, nice to see one of the great underrated 1950s singers in such good quality. This and "Tweedlee Dee" are my favorite LaVern Baker songs. The guy introducing her is the "Father of Rock 'n' Roll" Alan Freed (1921-1965) whose career would soon end in the infamous Payola controversy.
Willie Edwards
Love her voice
Singnfisherman
An awesome version of Ms. Baker's tune. Taken from the 1957 Paramount Pictures "Mr. Rock 'N' Roll" Would love to find this on DVD.
jay john
1957 looks soo much different from 1990 yet the year 2000 doesnt look much different from 2021.
Stolen Chanel
I think it depends on the era you are from. I can't really tell much difference between the 1930s and the 1940s, however I see a stark difference between 2000 and 2021.