Esther Phillips | Artist
Esther Mae Washington aka Esther Phillips was an American Rhythm & Blues singer born 1935 in Galveston, Texas. Starting out, at the age of 14 she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club, owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as Little Esther. Phillips rose to prominence in 1950, scoring several major R&B hits as Little Esther, then in the 1960s, she again achieved chart success with the country song "Release Me" and recorded in the pop, jazz, blues and soul genres. Phillips received a Grammy nomination for her single "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" in 1973 and her disco recording of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" was a major hit in 1975. Phillips' career took a nosedive in the mid 50's when she became addicted to heroin. she returned to Houston to live with her father and recuperate, working in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays to treat her addiction. In 1962 Kenny Rogers discovered her singing at a Houston club and helped her get a contract with Lenox Records, owned by his brother Lelan. Her 1965 album And I Love Him was a success, heralding her comeback, now working under the name Esther Phillips. Then followed a string of strong albums throughout the 60s and 70s, highlighted by the excellent From a Whisper to a Scream in 1972. Other standout albums include Black-Eyey Blues (1973), Confessin' the Blues (1976), Burnin': Live at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper, L.A. (1970), and the 1975 compilation entitled Anthology. The album From a Whisper to a Scream contained the popular single "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" which was an account of drug use written by Gil Scott-Heron. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1972. Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, but Franklin presented the trophy to her, saying she should have won it instead. Phillips died in 1984 at the age of 48. Originally buried in an unmarked pauper's grave at Lincoln Memorial Park in Compton, she was reinterred in 1985 in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills Los Angeles, where a bronze marker recognizes her career achievements.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Esther_Phillips
Featured Albums: Esther Phillips
Related Artists: Johnny Otis
