Esther Phillips: The Mercury Years

[sophisticated_soul]

Esther Phillips four Mercury albums are being released on CD for the first time. They are being released by Soulmusic.com and are available for pre-order at Amazon.com. Release date is January 25th 2011. "You've Come Along Way Baby" and "All About Esther" are one disc. "Here's Esther...Are You Ready" and "Good Black Is Hard To Crack" are also on one disc. I emailed David Nathan about the possible release of these four albums a number of years back and he was working on it then. Glad to see it finally happened. Thank you David and the gang at soulmusic.com. These four albums followed her amazing run on Kudu, but are equally impressive on there own.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Esther Phillips is an acquired taste, not for everyone. I can't recall if her Mercury recordings occured before her tenure on Kudu or afterwards?

[CliveR]

I was trying to licence these for Shout!, but David got there first - great releases, and treasured vinyl in my collection.
Look out for a Leon Haywood double CD on Shout! in February....

[sophisticated_soul]

Esther Phillips is an acquired taste, not for everyone. I can't recall if her Mercury recordings occured before her tenure on Kudu or afterwards?

Her Mercury recordings followed her Kudu recordings. Esther's voice is definitely idiosyncratic, and by definition is not for everyone. IMO her voice is a cross between Etta and Eartha with a heavy dose of Mahalia sprinkled lightly with Sarah and Billie. All ladies I admire greatly. The first time I heard her voice was "Release Me" and I was 11. I dug it then, like I dig it now. Talk about about idiosyncratic - an 11 year boy loving "Release Me"! LOL. She was wonderful, not for everyone but certainly for me.

[sophisticated_soul]

I was trying to licence these for Shout!, but David got there first - great releases, and treasured vinyl in my collection.
Look out for a Leon Haywood double CD on Shout! in February....

Thanks for the heads up on the up coming Leon Haywood project. I am very grateful to Shout!, Soulmusic.com, Reel Music, Ace/Kent and the other fine reissue labels that keep these projects coming. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[sophisticated_soul]

Side bar: Much has been written about Esther's volitility. I don't doubt that it is true. However the one time I met her nothing could be further from the truth. I had the privilege of seeing Esther perform twice. The second time was after her last Kudu album [[Capricorn Princess) but before her first Mercury album [[You've Come A Long Way Baby). She was performing at a local resort hotel here in San Diego. She gave a fabulous show, I'm hazy on the details because those were my party boy days [[or is that daze?), but I do remember the show was fabulous. Afterward I ran into a few fans trying to find her for autographs, I joined them and just as we were trying to figure our next move she found us! She was just totally beautiful, and patient, kind and conversational. One young lady kissed her hand and Esther said "Girl, you're embarrassing me!" She autographed my album and I went on my way with this wonderful memory. Maybe [[like me) she was stoned, who knows. It doesn't matter, I have that wonderful memory to keep all my life.

[nabob]

IMO her voice is a cross between Etta and Eartha with a heavy dose of Mahalia sprinkled lightly with Sarah and Billie. All ladies I admire greatly.

Totally off topic:
In her Rage To Survive autobiography, Etta James tells a story of how she and Esther barged into Atlantic Records toting a shot gun under the minks to extort royalty money that was needed for recreation. It's been quite a while and I don't know where the book is hidden to get the story as she told it. Reading it was a hoot.

[sophisticated_soul]

Totally off topic:
In her Rage To Survive autobiography, Etta James tells a story of how she and Esther barged into Atlantic Records toting a shot gun under the minks to extort royalty money that was needed for recreation. It's been quite a while and I don't know where the book is hidden to get the story as she told it. Reading it was a hoot.

Rage To Survive is a very good book. There were some things going down! And Etta was talking! I remember the incident you refer to but I don't remember Esther being her cohort on that job, but it has been awhile since I read it, so you're probably right. Her take on Sam Cooke's death was very interesting to say the least.

[marv2]

Loved Esther Phillips "whiskey" sounding voice, especially on the Beatles "And I Love Him".

[reese]

Totally off topic:
In her Rage To Survive autobiography, Etta James tells a story of how she and Esther barged into Atlantic Records toting a shot gun under the minks to extort royalty money that was needed for recreation. It's been quite a while and I don't know where the book is hidden to get the story as she told it. Reading it was a hoot.

It was actually Esther alone who stormed into CTI / Kudu Records with a baseball bat hidden under her mink. After showing it to a startled secretary and thereatening to tear up the place, Esther was given a check and went on her merry way.

Esther and Etta were cohorts in a check-cashing scheme that they used to get high. They would go into a hotel and ask them to cash a check, which of course the hotel would. I think the scheme failed at one point while Etta was holding the checkbook, and she had to serve some brief time at Rikers Island.

[sophisticated_soul]

Loved Esther Phillips "whiskey" sounding voice, especially on the Beatles "And I Love Him".

The "And I Love Him" album is one of her best, and one of my favorites. The Ray Ellis arrangements suit Esther very well. And on this album more than any other you hear how strong Dinah Washington's influence on Esther was.

[sophisticated_soul]

It was actually Esther alone who stormed into CTI / Kudu Records with a baseball bat hidden under her mink. After showing it to a startled secretary and thereatening to tear up the place, Esther was given a check and went on her merry way.

Esther and Etta were cohorts in a check-cashing scheme that they used to get high. They would go into a hotel and ask them to cash a check, which of course the hotel would. I think the scheme failed at one point while Etta was holding the checkbook, and she had to serve some brief time at Rikers Island.

Thanks for jogging my memory. I do remember the story of Esther storming into the Kudu offices with a baseball bat. But hey, she got her check! That story wasn't in Etta's book, but the check cashing scheme was. And I remember that now, it was Etta and Esther. What a team!

[nabob]

Soph, thanks for setting the facts straight. I scoured the book and couldn't find a reference to the story. Shows you what happens to memories as one ages. I'm glad that I'm not preaching. How did Atlantic Records get substituted for Kudu Records and a shot gun for a baseball bat? The reference to the check writing scheme was found. This stroll through my mind proves that my recollections are not reliable gospel. Where did the basic story originate? I had to hear it somewhere. Happy Holiday Season to you!

[sophisticated_soul]

Soph, thanks for setting the facts straight. I scoured the book and couldn't find a reference to the story. Shows you what happens to memories as one ages. I'm glad that I'm not preaching. How did Atlantic Records get substituted for Kudu Records and a shot gun for a baseball bat? The reference to the check writing scheme was found. This stroll through my mind proves that my recollections are not reliable gospel. Where did the basic story originate? I had to hear it somewhere. Happy Holiday Season to you!

Happy Holiday to you, nabob. I'm staring down the big 6-0, and my memory isn't what it used to be as well. That's a lot of years of facts and factoids to remember. I believe the baseball bat story is in one of the Kudu CD booklets [[I'm away from home for a few days so I can't verify). Also Esther was on Atlantic and the two CD retrospective of her career on Atlantic has a rather lengthy booklet which was filled with information and stories. I read lot of such things which often contain different accounts of the same event but by different people. It easy to get our wires crossed. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! LOL

[splanky]

Kam said:
Esther Phillips is an acquired taste, not for everyone

Actually, I believe more than 95 percent of female jazz singers are "acquired tastes" because most of them sing in ways
that fall outside of the confines of standard soul or pop aesthetics. It was true of Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington [[Esther's
role model), Nancy Wilson, even much of the later material of Abbey Lincoln, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. I just think
it's sad that Esther died so young [[45), goes so overlooked and odd that no one has written a biography of her life yet.
One of my favorite songs of hers is her cover of the Originals Baby I'm For Real but I could not find a posting of it on youtube or dailymotion which I also think is as odd as it is,telling. Esther voice comes straight out of the blues and I've
loved it since I was a pup...

[sophisticated_soul]

Kam said:
Esther Phillips is an acquired taste, not for everyone

Actually, I believe more than 95 percent of female jazz singers are "acquired tastes" because most of them sing in ways
that fall outside of the confines of standard soul or pop aesthetics. It was true of Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington [[Esther's
role model), Nancy Wilson, even much of the later material of Abbey Lincoln, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. I just think
it's sad that Esther died so young [[45), goes so overlooked and odd that no one has written a biography of her life yet.
One of my favorite songs of hers is her cover of the Originals Baby I'm For Real but I could not find a posting of it on youtube or dailymotion which I also think is as odd as it is,telling. Esther voice comes straight out of the blues and I've
loved it since I was a pup...

I'd really never looked at it that way but when I think about it you're right. I'm not a Jazz music fan per se but I do love my Jazz ladies. And all these ladies are very unique stylists. There is probably more variance in female Jazz vocalists, then say Pop or Country female vocalists. Esther was very good at making cover recordings her own [[mostly because of that voice), and "Baby, I'm For Real" was one of the best. I was just playing one of my favorite Esther albums "Black Eyed Blues". I love the song "Too Many Roads [[Between Us)". That song kicks me in the gut, knocks me down and then builds me back up, stronger than before. Esther could do that. I miss her. Thank God for recorded music.

[topdiva1]

Esther Phillips was a great singer - who despite her personal problems - remains grossly overlooked.

[sophisticated_soul]

Esther Phillips was a great singer - who despite her personal problems - remains grossly overlooked.

And totally underrated as well as under appreciated, etc. . .IMHO. I think her life story would make a fascinating movie, "Release Me: The Esther Phillips Story". I love it already! LOL