Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, switched to Delores Baker, and then was billed as LaVern Baker when she sang with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952. Georgia Gibbs recorded a note-for-note cover of the song, which reached number 1; subsequently Baker made an unsuccessful attempt to sue her for $250,000 () and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations, Her request spurred Charles Diggs to lead a Congressional investigation into song theft.

In 1955, Baker was the second most-played female artist in the United States after Etta James and she 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" (number 3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (number 2 R&B), and "Still" (number 4 R&B). She experienced success with both pop and R&B artists and she was one of the key musicians creating cross-over success for R&B. At the end of 1956, she had another hit with "Jim Dandy" (number 1 R&B, number 17 pop), which sold over one million copies and was certified as a gold disc. In 1958, she was one of the best-selling artists for Atlantic, on a short list of musicians who never sold less than 50,000 units and by 1961, she had three million-selling singles: "I Cried a Tear", "Tweedle Dee", and "Jim Dandy". In addition to singing, she did some work with Ed Sullivan raising her international profile and becoming one of the most popular musicians in Jamaica.

In 1966, Baker recorded "Think Twice", a duet single with Jackie Wilson. In 1991, Rhino Records released the album Live in Hollywood, recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill as well as Soul on Fire, a compilation of her Atlantic hits. In 1992, she recorded the album Woke Up This Morning for DRG Records. She was buried in an unmarked plot in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York. Local historians raised funds for a headstone, which was erected on May 4, 2008.

Further reading

  • Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and Roll by Maureen Mahon (October 9, 2020), from Duke University Press ()
  • Biography of Lavern Baker