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.
Shadows of Love
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I figured that nobody cared
Something passed over me from above
And I was standing in the shadows of love
Yeah, yeah, standing in the shadow of love
And I knew that at last I was free
And I figured that you'd soon come to me
The cloud that passed over me from above
Had me standing in the shadows of love
Standing in the shadow of love
Well, my heart felt lighter and things looked brighter
Then I knew that you had answered my prayer
I would never forget the day that we met
Your eyes told me you were willing to share
A love that will never grow old
A love that will never grow cold
Won't you take my hand, let's walk this land
Into the shadows of love, ooh
Standing in the shadow of love
Well, my heart felt lighter and things looked brighter
Then I knew that you had answered my prayer
I would never forget the day that we met
Your eyes told me you were willing to share
A love that will never grow old
A love that will never grow cold
Won't you take my hand, let's walk this land
Into the shadows of love
Oh, into the shadow of love
Walk with me into the shadow of love
Into the shadow of love
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Into the shadow of love
The lyrics to LaVern Baker's "Shadows of Love" describe a moment of epiphany when the singer is standing on the road of despair and feeling like nobody cares about her. Suddenly, something passes over her from above and she finds herself standing in the shadows of love. The cloud that passed over her had some kind of transformative power that made her feel free, light, and optimistic. She figures that her lover will soon come to her, and when she sees him, his eyes tell her that he is willing to share a love that will never grow old or cold.
Overall, the song seems to be about the power of love to transform and uplift us, even in our darkest moments. The singer is initially lost and adrift, but the presence of love in her life gives her a sense of purpose and direction. The song also seems to suggest that love is something that we can actively seek out and embrace, rather than something that simply happens to us. By choosing to walk into the shadows of love, the singer is taking an active role in shaping her own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
I was standing on the road of despair
At the start, the singer was feeling hopeless and alone
And I figured that nobody cared
She thought no one was there to support her
Something passed over me from above
Suddenly she felt a positive presence around her
And I was standing in the shadows of love
The positive presence she felt was a sign that she was on the path towards love
Yeah, yeah, standing in the shadow of love
Reaffirmation of her newfound place in the world
And I knew that at last I was free
Feeling of liberation from her previous pessimistic state of mind
And I figured that you'd soon come to me
Believing that love would soon come her way
The cloud that passed over me from above
The positive presence she felt earlier was compared to a passing cloud
Had me standing in the shadows of love
Reinforcement of the singer's belief that she was now on the right path towards finding love
Standing in the shadow of love
Repetition of her current state
Well, my heart felt lighter and things looked brighter
After feeling liberated and hopeful, the singer's attitude towards life had improved
Then I knew that you had answered my prayer
She believed that her wishes were being granted
I would never forget the day that we met
A significant moment in her life which she will always remember
Your eyes told me you were willing to share
The person she met had a welcoming and loving gaze, which gave her hope for a future together
A love that will never grow old
The love she is seeking is something that will last forever
A love that will never grow cold
Reinforcement of her belief that love should always be warm and vibrant
Won't you take my hand, let's walk this land
She is inviting the person she met to walk with her through life, side by side
Into the shadows of love, ooh
Together, they will venture into the world of love
Oh, into the shadow of love
Reiteration of her desire for love
Walk with me into the shadow of love
Invitation to walk together into the world of love
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Vocalization of excitement and joy
Into the shadow of love
Final affirmation of her quest for love
Contributed by Jeremiah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.