Little Esther Phillips(1935-1984)
- Composer
- Soundtrack
One of the premiere r&b vocalists of the 1950s through the 1980s,
'Little Esther' Phillips possessed both great talent and even greater
demons. When she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was
forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother
in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Although she was brought up singing
in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues
club, but her sister insisted and Esther complied. The young dynamo
wowed the club owner, bluesman Johnny Otis, and he immediately signed
her to his roster of performers. Esther would record on Otis's record
label, and perform in his revue. Otis gave her the moniker 'Little
Esther' that would follow her throughout her career.
Esther Phillips' voice had a unique nasal sound that delighted
audiences with its distinct phrasing and exacting diction. She scored
many r&b hits in the early 1950s, but soon became disillusioned with
Johnny Otis, finally walking out when her refused her request for a
salary increase. Through the remainder of the decade, Esther recorded
for various record companies without success. She returned to Houston
to live with her father at this time, and to deal with the greatest
challenge in her young life -- her drug dependency. Apparently, the
stress of life on the road with hardened blues performers, and her
insecurities had led her to indulge in heroin as an escape.
After rebounding from her dark days, Esther worked small nightclubs in
the southwest, and was spotted by rising star Kenny Rogers, who loved
her sound. He arranged a recording contract for her, and she released a
hit country and western album. She dropped the adjective 'Little' from
her name then. Soon after she signed with Atlantic records and released
a series of records with only modest success. They dropped her in 1967,
and her drug dependency deepened.
After a stint in a rehab hospital, Atlantic re-signed Esther, and soon
released a live album consider to be among her best. The label
attempted to squeeze Esther into a pop singer mold, but she wasn't
comfortable in the role, so again they cut her free from her contract.
In 1971 jazz maestro Creed Taylor signed her to his Kudu label, and
this is where Esther's best work can be found. Soon she was singing in
high-profile venues along with big-name talent, and international jazz
festivals. In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since her early
days with Johnny Otis with the early disco track 'What A Diff'rence A
Day Makes,' a remake of a Dinah Washington standard.
Soon restless, Esther left Kudu records for another label in 1977, but
was never able to duplicate her success. Depression and insecurity
again hounded her and she again turned to heroin, and this time
alcohol. She released a few records on small independent labels with
little success or notice. The years of addiction had taken a huge toll
on 'Little Esther' Phillips and she succumbed to liver and kidney
failure in Los Angeles in August of 1984.
'Little Esther' Phillips possessed both great talent and even greater
demons. When she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was
forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother
in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Although she was brought up singing
in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues
club, but her sister insisted and Esther complied. The young dynamo
wowed the club owner, bluesman Johnny Otis, and he immediately signed
her to his roster of performers. Esther would record on Otis's record
label, and perform in his revue. Otis gave her the moniker 'Little
Esther' that would follow her throughout her career.
Esther Phillips' voice had a unique nasal sound that delighted
audiences with its distinct phrasing and exacting diction. She scored
many r&b hits in the early 1950s, but soon became disillusioned with
Johnny Otis, finally walking out when her refused her request for a
salary increase. Through the remainder of the decade, Esther recorded
for various record companies without success. She returned to Houston
to live with her father at this time, and to deal with the greatest
challenge in her young life -- her drug dependency. Apparently, the
stress of life on the road with hardened blues performers, and her
insecurities had led her to indulge in heroin as an escape.
After rebounding from her dark days, Esther worked small nightclubs in
the southwest, and was spotted by rising star Kenny Rogers, who loved
her sound. He arranged a recording contract for her, and she released a
hit country and western album. She dropped the adjective 'Little' from
her name then. Soon after she signed with Atlantic records and released
a series of records with only modest success. They dropped her in 1967,
and her drug dependency deepened.
After a stint in a rehab hospital, Atlantic re-signed Esther, and soon
released a live album consider to be among her best. The label
attempted to squeeze Esther into a pop singer mold, but she wasn't
comfortable in the role, so again they cut her free from her contract.
In 1971 jazz maestro Creed Taylor signed her to his Kudu label, and
this is where Esther's best work can be found. Soon she was singing in
high-profile venues along with big-name talent, and international jazz
festivals. In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since her early
days with Johnny Otis with the early disco track 'What A Diff'rence A
Day Makes,' a remake of a Dinah Washington standard.
Soon restless, Esther left Kudu records for another label in 1977, but
was never able to duplicate her success. Depression and insecurity
again hounded her and she again turned to heroin, and this time
alcohol. She released a few records on small independent labels with
little success or notice. The years of addiction had taken a huge toll
on 'Little Esther' Phillips and she succumbed to liver and kidney
failure in Los Angeles in August of 1984.