R&B Singer Lavern Baker Is Dead; Made Rock Hall Of Fame

NEW YORK - LaVern Baker, whose hits such as "Tweedle-Dee" and "Jim Dandy" put her at the top of the rhythm and blues charts in the 1950s and earned her a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has died. She was 67.

Ms. Baker, who had suffered from diabetes and had had both legs amputated below the knee two years ago, died yesterday at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan.

Her other hits included "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," "I Cried a Tear," "Shake a Hand," "Saved" and "See See Rider."

Ms. Baker was inducted into the rock hall of fame in 1991, telling the audience, "Regardless of how old you are when you get this, it's still good, baby."

Like other black artists in the early days of rock 'n' roll, Ms. Baker saw many of her songs "covered" by white singers who wound up selling more records with their pale imitations than the original singers had.

Legend has it that Ms. Baker was so upset with Georgia Gibbs (because Ms. Gibbs' "Tweedle Dee" succeeded on white radio stations) that she met Ms. Gibbs at an airport and told her she should take out an insurance policy in case Ms. Baker's plane crashed.

Ms. Baker said the true story was similar to the legend.

"When I went to Australia with Bill Haley, Big Joe Turner, the Platters and Freddy Bell and the Bellboys, I left her my (flight) insurance policy," Ms. Baker said. "I sent it to her with a letter, `Since I'll be away and you won't have anything new to copy, you might as well take this.' "

Ms. Baker, who was born Delores Williams in Chicago on Nov. 11, 1929, lived in the Philippines during the '70s and '80s, managing a club near a U.S. military base and singing there on weekends.

Ms. Baker first returned to the United States when Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun invited her to perform at the company's 40th-anniversary bash in 1988.

She came back to record "Saved" and "Leaving it up to You" with Ben E. King for the film "Shag," another time for a concert at Kennedy Center, and to record "Slow Rolling Mama" for the film "Dick Tracy."

Ms. Baker also came back to stay to make her Broadway debut in "Black and Blue." The producers had heard her 1958 "LaVern Baker Sings Bessie Smith" record. She replaced Ruth Brown for the last eight months of the run.