Varetta Dillard
Varetta Dillard was one of the great unknown blues shouters of the 1950s. A two-time winner of the Apollo Theater's amateur competition, she recorded solo and as a part of a duo that she shared with vocalist/pianist H-Bomb Ferguson. Signed by Savoy in 1951, her singles included "Easy Easy Baby" in 1952 and "Mercy, Mr. Percy," her theme song, the following year.
Dillard became known for her tribute songs to fallen heroes. She recorded "Johnny Has Gone," in memory of late vocalist Johnny Ace, in 1955 and was pressured to record "I Miss You Jimmy," in tribute to James Dean, after switching to the RCA Victor/Groove label in 1956. Although she subsequently recorded for Triumph and MGM's Club subsidiary, Dillard ended her solo recording career in 1961 and joined her husband's gospel group, the Tri-Odds. A product of New York's Harlem, Dillard spent much of her childhood in hospitals due to a bone deficiency. She turned to music as a form of therapy.
© Craig Harris /TiVo
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Discography
6 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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R&B Legend '56 - '61
R&B - Released by Master Classics Records on Jun 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Anthology: The Deluxe Collection (Remastered)
R&B - Released by Master Tape Records on Jun 18, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Varetta Dillard
R&B - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on Jun 24, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harlem's R&B Jewel - Varetta Dillard in NYC
R&B - Released by Stardom Records on Sep 22, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo