Bettye LaVette
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Bettye LaVette (born Betty Haskins in Muskegon, Michigan, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer who cut her first record at 16, but achieved only intermittent fame until her 2005 record, I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. Her style combines elements of blues, country, rock, soul, funk, and gospel, which has prevented her from being easily marketed.
Life and career
LaVette grew up in Detroit, where she was discovered by Johnnie Mae Matthews, a Detroit record producer. In 1962, aged 16, she recorded a single, "My Man - He's A Lovin' Man" with Matthews, which became a national hit after Atlantic Records bought distribution rights. This led to a tour with rhythm and blues musicians Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Barbara Lynn and then-newcomer Otis Redding, and then a stint touring with James Brown. Her next single to get any kind of airplay was "Let Me Down Easy", which has become her theme song. She would cut numerous other singles for various labels, without an album contract.
After being signed to Atlantic Records in 1972, an album to be titled Child of the Seventies was produced, but it was shelved due to lack of interest. Despite this setback, and drawing enthusiastic live crowds across the country, LaVette continued to be rebuffed by other labels. She spent six years on Broadway and touring with the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar opposite Cab Calloway. During the disco era, she managed a small hit with the ironically titled "Doin' The Best That I Can".
In 1982 Motown finally offered her a contract to fill the void left by the departing Diana Ross, and LaVette recorded Tell Me A Lie, with the single "Right in the Middle of Falling in Love" which was a modest hit. Still her career languished, though she found steady work on the European festival circuit. In 1991, she completed the album Not Gonna Happen Twice for Ian Levine's Motorcity label.
After Bettye had played her own personal mono recordings of "Child of the Seventies" for Gilles Petard, a French soul music collector, he requested to look for the master recordings at Alantic, whose personnel had previously thought they had been lost in a fire some years back. In 1999, he finally discovered the masters and then licensed the album from Atlantic and released it on his Art and Soul label as Souvenirs (2000).
Finally, in 2006, Child of the Seventies was reissued by Rhino Handmade with all-new additional tracks, which was met with critical acclaim. This also led to a revival of her music which has so far included a live album and two brand new albums, including 2005's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, an album whose title is taken from the lyrics of the Fiona Apple hit Sleep to Dream, which is covered on the album (Other notable songwriters on the album were Aimee Mann, Sinead O'Connor, Lucinda Williams, Joan Armatrading, and Dolly Parton). The album was released by ANTI- Records and produced by Joe Henry.
Her 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime, was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. She recorded Child of the Seventies not at FAME but at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, which ceased operation in 2005. LaVette talks about her experiences at Muscle Shoals Sound and FAME in an interview conducted by Edd Hurt in September 2007. Rock/Alt-Country outfit Drive-By Truckers served as the back-up band for the album. Drive-By Truckers frontman, Patterson Hood, produced the album alongside LaVette. The album also features one song co-written by LaVette and Patterson Hood.
In December 2008 at the Kennedy Center Honors, LaVette delivered a stunning rendition of "Love Reign O'er Me" in tribute to Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, who were among the year's honorees. The performance was widely considered one of the event's highlights.
LaVette is married to Kevin Kiley, a recorded music and antiques dealer who is also a singer and musician. They live in West Orange, New Jersey.
On Sunday, January 18, 2009, she performed a duet at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" with Jon Bon Jovi.
Discography
- Tell Me a Lie - Motown (1982) (LP only) (CD Released on Reel Music, May 2008,[1]
- Not Gonna Happen Twice - Motor City (1990) (Import CD)
- Nearer to You: The SSS Recordings - Charly (1990) (Import CD)
- The Very Best of the Motor City Recordings - Motor City (1996) (CD)
- Bluesoul Belles The Complete Calla Recordings - West Side (1999) (Import CD), EMI INT'L (2005) (Import CD)
- Souvenirs - (Original previously unreleased Atco LP from 1973), Art & Soul (2000) (Import CD)
- Bettye LaVette: Let Me Down Easy In Concert - Munich (2000) (Import CD)
- Let Me Down Easy In Concert - Munich (2001)
- A Woman Like Me - Blues Express (2003) (CD)
- Vanthology - A Tribute To Van Morrison (Various Artists) - Evidence (2003) (CD)
- Track: Real Real Gone
- I've Got My Own Hell to Raise - Anti- (2005) (CD), Dbk Works (LP)
- Get In The Groove - Live (Various Artists) - Norton (2005) (CD)
- Tracks: Night Time is the Right Time, Tailfeather Finale
- The Complete Cala, Port and Roulette Recordings with Carol Fran (2005) (Stateside Records) [2]
- Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart: The Classic Late '60s Memphis Recordings with The Dixie Flyers - Varese Sarabande (2006) (CD)
- Child Of The Seventies: The Complete Atlantic/Atco Recordings - Rhino Handmade (2006) (CD)
- Do Your Duty: The Complete Silver Fox/SSS Recordings - Sundazed (2006) (LP)
- What's Going On - The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Shoutfactory (2006) (CD)
- Track: What's Happening Brother
- Song of America - Various Artists - Thirty Tigers (2007) (CD)
- Track: Streets of Philadelphia
- The Scene of the Crime - Anti- (2007) (CD) (LP)
Singles
- My Man - He's a Lovin' Man/Shut Your Mouth - Atlantic 2160 (1962) (No 7 R&B)
- You'll Never Change/Here I Am - Atlantic 2198 (1963)
- Witchcraft in the Air/You Killed the Love - LuPine 123 (1963)
- (Happiness Will Cost You) One Thin Dime - Scepter (1964) (unreleased)
- Let Me Down Easy/What I Don't Know (Won't Hurt Me) Calla 102 (1965) (No 20 R&B)
- I Feel Good All Over/Only Your Love Can Save Me - Calla 104 (1965)
- Cry Me a River - Calla (1965) (unreleased)
- She Don't Love You Like I Love You - Calla (1965) (unreleased)
- I'm Just a Fool For You/Stand Up Like a Man - Calla 106 (1966)
- I'm Holding On/Tears in Vain - Big Wheel (1969, 1966)
- Almost/Love Makes The World Go Round - Karen 1540 (1968)
- Get Away/What Condition My Condition Is In - Karen 1544 (1968)
- A Little Help From My Friends/Hey Love - Karen 1545 (1969)
- Let Me Down Easy/Ticket to the Moon - Karen 1548 (1969)
- He Made a Woman Out of Me/Nearer to You - Silver Fox 17 (1969) (No 25 R&B)
- Do Your Duty/Love's Made a Fool Out of Me - Silver Fox 21 (1970) (No 38 R&B)
- Games People Play/My Train's Comin' In - Silver Fox 24 (1970)
- Piece of My Heart/At the Mercy of a Man - SSS International 839 (1970)
- He Made A Woman Out Of Me / My Train's Coming In - SSS Int'l 933 (1970)
- Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go (w/ Hank Ballard) - SSS International 946 (c. 1970)
- Hello, Sunshine (with Hank Ballard) - SSS International (c. 1970) (unreleased)
- I'm In Love - Silver Fox (1970) (unreleased)
- We Got To Slip Around - SSS International (c. 1970) (unreleased)
- Easier To Say (Than Do) - SSS International (c. 1970) (unreleased)
- Never My Love/Stormy - TCA 001 (1971)
- Heart of Gold/You'll Wake Up Wiser - Atco 6891 (1972)
- Your Turn to Cry/Soul Tambourine - Atco 6913 (1973)
- Thank You For Loving Me/You Made a Believer Out of Me - Epic 50143 (1975) (No 94 R&B)
- Behind Closed Doors/ You're a Man of Words, I'm a Woman of Action - Epic 50177 (1975)
- Feelings - (1978) (unreleased)
- Shoestring - (1978) (unreleased)
- Doin' the Best I Can Pt.1 /Doin' the Best I Can Pt. 2 - West End 1213 (1978)
- Right in the Middle (of Falling in Love) / You've Seen One You've Seen 'em All - Motown 1532 (1982) (No 35 R&B)
- I Can't Stop/Either Way We Lose - Motown 1614 (1982)
- Trance Dance Pt.1/ Trance Dance Pt. 2 - Street King (1984)
- Not Gonna Happen Twice - Motor City (1990) (UK only)
- Damn Your Eyes/Out Cold - Bar None (1997) (Cassette only)
