Ketty Lester

Here is a beautiful 50s-ish noir song (popularized by Sarah Vaughan), sung by the great yet forgotten singer Ketty Lester.

Like so many other American interpeters of the Great American Songbook who recorded in the 1950s and the early 1960s, Ketty Lester is a largely forgotten singer recently rediscovered in the current Japanese reissue craze. Ketty Lester was born Revoyda Frierson in 1934 in Hope, Arkansas. Little has been published about her early career, although she appears to have been adept at both singing and acting. By the early 1960s, Lester had toured Europe with Cab Calloway's Orchestra and earned positive notices for her work in an off-Broadway production of Cabin in the sky. In 1962, Lester had a hit with Love letters, resulting in a full-length album of the same name. By 1964, Lester had signed with RCA Victor. Lester's first album stressed her R&B roots with its title, The soul of me. Where is love?, Lester's second album, is a perfect example of her "standards sung slightly soulfully" style, a mixture of Dinah Washington's bluesy laments and the elegant readings of Nancy Wilson, Lurlean Hunter and Valerie Carr. With a number of well-known songs from theatrical shows such as Oliver!, My fair lady, and West Side story, the record conveys the singer's ongoing interest in the stage. Two years later, she recorded the album When a woman loves a man for the Tower label. Then she turned to acting. In the 1970s, she landed recurring roles on TV shows such as Days of our lives and Little house on the prairie. She recorded a gospel album in 1984. The reissue of Where is love? on CD should introduce, and re-introduce, this talented and hardworking singer to new and appreciative audiences.

Enjoy this superb ballad!

Look for me (I'll be around)