About Me
Whether billed as teen rhythm-and-blues sensation Little Esther or as a crossover pop, country, or soul artist, Esther Phillips created an impressive body of memorable music during the course of her troubled life. In a 34-year career that flourished and ebbed and flourished again, her sinewy vocals--best compared to those of Dinah Washington and Nina Simone--tapped into jazz, boogie, blues, country, and even disco styles.
Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas, the singer came from a troubled family. Her parents divorced, and she split her time between living with her mother in Galveston and with her father in Houston. The youngster sang in a Sanctified church until her mother moved her and her sister to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was there that she began picking up on the jazzy blues stylings of Dinah Washington, saving her school milk money so that she could play Washington's records on a local jukebox.
She was only 13 years old when her sister Marianna dressed her up to look old enough to participate in a talent contest at the Largo Theater. According to legend, her version of Washington's current hit "Baby Get Lost" not only won her first place, but also caught the attention of bandleader Johnny Otis, who asked the youngster to join his popular rhythm-and-blues show at the Barrelhouse Club. It was a big break for Jones. The Greek-American Otis, who had just signed a deal with the newly formed Savoy label, was one of the keenest talent scouts of the postwar era. Among his discoveries were the Robins, Mel Walker, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Hank Ballard, Etta James, and Big Mama Thornton.
Esther Phillips was perhaps too versatile for her own good, at least commercially speaking; while she was adept at singing blues, early RB, gritty soul, jazz, straight-up pop, disco, and even country, her record companies often lacked a clear idea of how to market her, which prevented her from reaching as wide an audience as she otherwise might have. An acquired taste for some, Phillips' voice had an idiosyncratic, nasal quality that often earned comparisons to Nina Simone, although she herself counted Dinah Washington as a chief inspiration. Phillips' career began when she was very young and by some accounts, she was already battling drug addiction during her teenage years; whenever her problems took root, the lasting impact on her health claimed her life before the age of 50.
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