b. Delores Williams, 11 November 1929, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 10 March 1997, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Baker was a pioneering voice in the fusion of R&B and rock 'n' roll in the 50s. In 1947 she was discovered in a Chicago nightclub by bandleader Fletcher Henderson. Although still in her teens, the singer won a recording contract with the influential OKeh Records, where she was nicknamed "Little Miss Sharecropper" and "Bea Baker". Having toured extensively with the Todd Rhodes Orchestra, Baker secured a prestigious contract with Atlantic Records, with whom she enjoyed a fruitful relationship. "Tweedle Dee" reached both the US R&B and pop charts in 1955, selling in excess of one million copies, and the artist was awarded a second gold disc two years later for "Jim Dandy". In 1959, she enjoyed a number 6 pop hit with "I Cried A Tear" and throughout the decade Baker remained one of black music's leading performers. Although eclipsed by newer acts during the 60s, the singer enjoyed further success with "Saved", written and produced by Leiber And Stoller, and "See See Rider", both of which inspired subsequent versions, notably by the Band and the Animals. Baker had a stunning voice that with little effort could crack walls, and yet her ballad singing was wonderfully sensitive.
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