This article is about the "other" Little Esther Jones, better known as Esther Phillips who was born in 1935. See Baby Esther Jones, who also went by the name "Little Esther Jones" for the Child Wonder.
Some of the information is Boop-Oop-a-Dooping full of SPOILERS. Boop-Oop-a-Doop!
Little Esther May Jones
| Little Esther Phillips | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Name |
Esther Mae Jones |
Esther Mae Phillips (December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas. Esther was a versatile African-American singer who performed jazz, pop, country and soul music.
At the age of 14 she won a contest in "1949" at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was impressed with her performance and had her record for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, where she was billed Little Esther. She made several hit records for Savoy with the Johnny Otis Orchestra.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing seven albums for Kudu and four for Mercury Records, which signed her in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time with "Turn Me Out", recorded for Muse, a small independent label, which reached number 85 on the R&B chart. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death; it was released by Muse in 1986.
Phillips is "not to be mistaken" for the 1920s child star Little Esther Lee Jones, better known as Baby Esther. Both were African-American child stars, and both shared the same stage name.
Death
- Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California, in 1984, at the age of 48, from liver and kidney failure due to long-term drug abuse. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis. Originally buried in an unmarked pauper's grave at Lincoln Memorial Park in Compton, she was reinterred in 1985 in the Morning Light section at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, in Los Angeles. A bronze marker recognizes her career achievements and quotes a Bible passage: "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" (John 14:2).
Gallery
Trivia
- Esther Phillips was also known for "scat singing" in some of her jazz and blues songs. That is another similiarty to Esther Lee Jones. Which is why Phillips is often mistaken for Baby Esther.
See Also
- Little Esther Phillips at VGH