La Vern Baker / La Vern

by LaVern Baker

Description by OLDIES.com:

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, LaVern Baker began singing in church choirs, and got her first break singing under the name "Little Miss Sharecropper". Both of the albums on this showcase Baker at her best; on these 26 tracks she rocks in her inimitable style.

Product Description:

2 LPs on 1 CD: LAVERN/LAVERN BAKER.

Also available as part of the Collectables box THE LEGEND AT HER BEST.

Includes liner notes by Marv Goldberg.

LAVERN/LAVERN BAKER presents Baker's first two albums (from 1956 and 1953, respectively) on a single disc. Baker, of course, was the first great female star of early rock & roll. Like much early rock, her music has a wonderfully brash spirit.

The musical styles range from jump blues ("Lots and Lots of Love") and quasi-doo-wop novelties (the often-covered "Jim Dandy") to jazzy, Johnny Ace-influenced ballads ("You'll Be Crying"). Whatever the style, Baker's sound is unique-a soulful combination of unbridled lungpower and sophisticated phrasing. With the possible exception of the Chantels' Arlene Smith, Baker had no equal until the arrival of Aretha Franklin.