Betty Jean Everett
(23 Nov. 1939 - 19 Aug. 2001) would have been celebrating her 83rd
birthday today, she passed in Aug 2001 aged 61. She will probably be
forever known for the novelty song "Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" along with a duet with Jerry Butler "Let It Be Me".
She was born in Greensville, MS, in 1939 and sang and played piano in
church from the age of 9. In 1957, aged 18, she moved to Chicago to
pursue a career in secular music and released her first recording the
same year and followed it with another two singles for Cobra Records.
A pair of singles appeared on both C.J. and One-derful! and another on
Renee before being signed to Vee-Jay in 1963.
Her third single for the label, the aforementioned "Shoop Shoop Song
(It's In His Kiss)" hit pay dirt and was her biggest hit so far
reaching #6 R&B in 1964. Two more singles followed with only one
being a minor R&B hit before her next biggie, the duet with Jerry
Butler which got to #5 R&B.
The follow up was another minor R&B hit "Getting Might Crowded" (#65) but was picked up on years later by the UK Northern Soul
scene. She then recorded another duet with Butler singing Charlie
Chaplin's "Smile".
The hits dried up at the end of 1964 and she had to wait until 1969
for her next. Vee-Jay folded in 1966 and she moved to ABC but after
four singles for ABC in a year failed to chart she moved to Uni. Her
first single for them was her biggest hit, "There'll Come A Time" (#2 R&B / #26 Hot 100) which was the title track of her third
album, having released a duets album "Delicious Together" with Butler 1964 and her debut "You're No Good" in 1963.
Another three of her six singles on Uni charted before leaving for
Fantasy in 1970 where she had four R&B hits and released two
albums, "Love Rhymes" (1974) and "Happy Endings" (1975). By 1977 she had moved on again this time to Sound Stage 7
where she released two singles, followed by another on United Artists
in 1978 and her final single on 20th Century-Fox in 1980 and that
would appear to be her last original recording.
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1 comment:
Nothing to throw away from this great singer. A Soul legend with a capital S!!!
Yves
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