Bonnie Baker (singer)
| Bonnie Baker | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Evelyn Underhill (or Evelyn Nelson) |
| Also known as | Wee Bonnie Baker Evelyn Reyo Lakey |
| Born |
April 1, 1917 Orange, Texas, United States |
| Died | August 11, 1990 (aged 73) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1936–1965 |
| Labels | Columbia, Warner Bros. |
| Associated acts | Orrin Tucker |
Bonnie Baker (née Evelyn Underhill or Nelson, April 1, 1917 – August 11, 1990) was an American singer of jazz and popular music and was known from 1936 to the end of her performing career as Wee Bonnie Baker. Her biggest hit was "Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!," recorded with the Orrin Tucker Orchestra in 1939.
She was born in Orange, Texas; at the time of her death, her family gave her birth name as Evelyn Underhill, although other sources give it as Evelyn Nelson. She attended school in Galveston and Houston. At age 16, during the 1932–1933 school year, she was a day student at Mount de Sales Academy, in Macon, Georgia, which at that time was a Roman Catholic boarding school for girls.
She then moved back to Houston where she sang in night clubs. She joined Orrin Tucker's band as a vocalist in 1936, after Louis Armstrong suggested that Tucker recruit her. Tucker gave her the stage name "Wee" Bonnie Baker on account of her height, about 4 foot 11 inches. She had only local fame before joining Tucker's orchestra — wider notability did not occur until she performed at the Empire Room of the Palmer House in Chicago in 1939, when she began to flourish in the South and Pacific Coast.
Her girlish voice, described as "like a tiny silver bell, soft but tonally true", was used on a version of the 1917 song "Oh Johnny, Oh!", written by Abe Olman and Ed Rose. It was recorded with the Orrin Tucker Orchestra on August 20, 1939, in Los Angeles. Released on Columbia Records, it became hugely popular in 1940, reaching no. 2 on the Billboard pop chart, remaining on the chart for 14 weeks, and selling 1.5 million copies. It was also Orrin Tucker's biggest hit. She also had success with the songs "You'd Be Surprised", "Billy", "Would Ja Mind?", and "Especially For You".
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