Take 5 With Esther Phillips

This installment of Take 5 is a short playlist of Esther Phillips. Esther Phillips had a remarkable career starting with her first recordings with Johnny Otis on "Double Crossing Blues," and continuing decades later when she had a disco hit with "What A Difference a Day Makes." She was one of the great post-war women of the blues and those who select the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame inductees for the Blues Foundation should be ashamed that she has not already been inducted posthumously.

First up is her hit, "Double Crossing Blues," with the Johnny Otis and The Robins.

Another one from her early years was for Federal with the Dominoes, "The Deacon Moves In"

 
Esther had hits with songs that were not strictly in the rhythm and blues vein such as "Release Me," and "When a Woman Loves a Man." Her cover of the Beatles' "And I Love Him," so impressed them, that they flew her to England to perform on tv with them.

She never strayed far from the blues however as can be heard in this medley with Johnny Otis titled "Cry Me a River Blues," but so much more.

Finally, we close with her harrowing performance of a Gil Scott Heron song whose lyrics Esther unfortunately lived. This performance was so stunning that Aretha Franklin gave the Grammy to her because she thought Esther deserved a Grammy more than she did.

While I normally stop at 5 tracks, I have a bonus today with a clip of her with Nina Simone, Carmine McRae, Maxine Weldon, and Morgana King paying tribute to Billie Holiday.