Platinum Collection

Born in Chicago in 1929, singer LaVern Baker helped pioneer the R&B sound in the 1950s and released multiple hits with Atlantic Records including the famous "Tweedle Dee." After a USO tour left her alone in Asia in 1966, she spent 21 years in the Philippines managing a nightclub, returning to America later in life. Early Career Singer. LaVern Baker was born Delores Baker on November 11, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. A descendant of former slaves whose family had migrated to Chicago from Mississippi in search of greater opportunity, Baker was raised primarily by her aunt, the jazz singer Merline Johnson who was best known as "The Yas Yas Girl." Memphis Minnie, the legendary blues singer ...