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.
That
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And reminisce with you that's my desire.
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe,
And dance 'till break of day that's my desire.
We'll sip a little glass of wine, I'll gaze into your eyes divine.
I'll feel the touch of your lips pressing on mine.
To hear you whisper low just when it's time to go,
Cherie, I love you so, that's my desire.
In LaVern Baker's song "That's My Desire," the singer is expressing their longing to spend a night with someone they love in a familiar setting. They want to relive memories with this person and dance together until the morning. They even want to share a glass of wine and gaze into each other's eyes. The singer also wants to hear the person they love say those three little words before they have to part ways.
The lyrics paint a picture of a sentimental and romantic night that the singer desires to share with someone special. They are yearning for an intimate moment with that person, where they can simply be close to each other and enjoy each other's company.
It's interesting to note that LaVern Baker's version of "That's My Desire" was not the original recording. In fact, the song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Additionally, the lyrics have been slightly altered in various versions.
Line by Line Meaning
To spend one night with you in our old rendezvous,
I want to spend a night with you in the place where we used to meet.
And reminisce with you that's my desire.
I want to talk and think about our past experiences together.
To meet where gypsies play, down in that dim cafe,
I want to meet at a cafe where gypsies perform music in a romantic setting.
And dance 'till break of day that's my desire.
I want to dance with you all night long until the sun comes up.
We'll sip a little glass of wine, I'll gaze into your eyes divine.
We will enjoy some wine while I admire your beautiful eyes.
I'll feel the touch of your lips pressing on mine.
I want to feel your lips kissing mine in a passionate embrace.
To hear you whisper low just when it's time to go,
I want to hear you say you love me softly when it's time for us to leave.
Cherie, I love you so, that's my desire.
My desire is to tell you, my dear, that I love you so much.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HELMY KRESA, CARROLL LOVEDAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
deltajive
such a powerful voice, first time I’ve ever seen her live this is awesome
Woodrow Kirkwood
Same here.
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Mostly Brenda
So great! One of the songs that jump started R&R. It was just a few tweaks to the earlier R&B that got the kids up and dancing. Lavern and Ruth Brown never got the fame they deserved.
Woodrow Kirkwood
For sure just found her music.
beechnut79
The former yes, the latter not so much.
glenn h Friedman
not true
sstavsky
She was really good! Not only her singing, but also the deliverance of the song. I'd never seen her live before.
John Hiram
I was 10 years old and loved this song when it came out.. Pretty early rock and roll.
Tom Smith
I've always thought that this was a fun song, and it was a really big seller for LaVern Baker. One of rock and roll's earliest big hits. This was from the same episode that also featured Bo Diddley and the Five Keys. It must have been one of the very first instances of rock and roll being featured on television.
Tom Smith
@Mostly Brenda Yes, they did! I would love to see the footage of the Crew Cuts on here!