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.
Voodoo Voodoo
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ground
I thought I was a dog, I started barkin' like a hound
I thought I was coyote, howlin' at the moon
Stumblin' and a fumblin' like a flip mighty goon
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
He done a voo-voo-voo-voo voodoo-ed me
If he couldn't have me all for hisself
I wouldn't be any good for nobody else
I kinda think he meant every word he said
Sprinklin' the oogly all under my bed
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
Just about as mixed up as a girl could be
He done a voo-voo-voo-voo voodoo-ed me
Well, he took a little box from out of nowhere
A tooth in the box and little lock of hair
He had a leopard spots and neck of giraffe
He had a zebra's stripes and a hyena's laugh
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
Just about as mixed up as a girl could be
He done a voo-voo-voo-voo voodoo-ed me
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me, yeah
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me, ah-ha
Just about as mixed up as a girl could be
He done a voo-voo-voo-voo voodoo-ed me
The lyrics to LaVern Baker's "Voodoo Voodoo" tell the story of a woman who has been cursed by a powerful spell. The singer is experiencing an identity crisis and is unsure of who and what she is, as she believes she has been transformed into a snake, a dog, and a coyote all at once. She stumbles around, feeling like a fool and struggling to understand what has happened to her. The chorus repeats the title phrase, "He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me," emphasizing that the woman believes she has been the victim of a voodoo curse.
Later in the song, the singer reveals that the cause of her affliction is a man who wanted her all to himself. She hints that the man may have used some of her personal belongings to create the spell, as he had a box containing a lock of her hair and a tooth. The man is described as having the traits of various animals, such as the spots of a leopard and the laugh of a hyena, suggesting he may have some sort of supernatural power.
Overall, the lyrics to "Voodoo Voodoo" paint an eerie picture of a woman who has been put under a spell and is struggling to make sense of her new reality. The song ties in elements of African-American folklore and mysticism, with references to voodoo and animals commonly associated with the culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I was a snake, I started crawlin' on the Ground
I was so affected by his voodoo that I felt like I was turning into a snake and crawling on the ground.
I thought I was a dog, I started barkin' like a hound
I was so affected by his voodoo that I felt like I was turning into a dog and barking like a hound.
I thought I was coyote, howlin' at the moon
I was so affected by his voodoo that I felt like I was turning into a coyote and howling at the moon.
Stumblin' and a fumblin' like a flip mighty goon
I was so affected by his voodoo that I stumbled and fumbled like a clumsy fool.
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me
He used voodoo to put a spell on me.
Just about as mixed up as a girl could be
I was so confused and disoriented by the voodoo that I didn't know what was happening to me.
If he couldn't have me all for hisself
He didn't want me to be with anyone else but him.
I wouldn't be any good for nobody else
He wanted to make sure that I couldn't be happy with anyone else.
I kinda think he meant every word he said
I believe that he truly wanted to keep me for himself and that his voodoo was not just a game.
Sprinklin' the oogly all under my bed
He used his voodoo to place cursed objects or substances under my bed.
Well, he took a little box from out of nowhere
He used a magical box to perform his voodoo magic on me.
A tooth in the box and little lock of hair
He used personal items of mine to perform his voodoo magic on me.
He had a leopard spots and neck of giraffe
He had used animal parts in his voodoo magic, like a leopard's spots and a giraffe's neck.
He had a zebra's stripes and a hyena's laugh
He had used animal parts in his voodoo magic, like a zebra's stripes and a hyena's laugh.
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me, yeah
He had used his voodoo magic to curse me, making me feel lost and confused.
He done voodoo-doodoo-ed me, ah-ha
He used his voodoo magic to control me and make me feel helpless.
Just about as mixed up as a girl could be
I was so confused by his voodoo magic that I didn't know which way was up, much less what was happening to me.
He done a voo-voo-voo-voo voodoo-ed me
He used his voodoo magic to put a spell on me and make me feel lost and disoriented.
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Frank Baptie
This song kicks ass from front to end. The Horns, the Voice, and that drum beat! Great Sax solo too.Overall Raw energy. Shout out to WMNF Radio Tampa where I discovered this song 10 years ago. Still in my top 5.
Cherry Day
I’m so glad this song exists. Amazing. Her voice is the best!
Ernst Passmann Rockabilly
I go crazy.
ELIZABETH-ANNE
I get goosebumps every time I hear this !
Serena Castro
The best part of bring born in the 2000's is that we have technology to search and discover other eras music easily. This is gold 🖤
Gustavo
La Vern Baker and Ruth Brown!! Great pearls from the 1950's!
Anthony Flynn
This is really a fantastic vocal performance
Glenn Evitt
This Lady can put a spell on any man🤩
Jos van der Gun
One of the very best female rockers ever!
maydom04
flip side is just as great "Hey Memphis"