Ketty Lester
| Ketty Lester | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Revoyda Frierson |
| Born |
August 16, 1934 Hope, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | Traditional pop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Era, RCA, London |
Ketty Lester (born Revoyda Frierson; August 16, 1934) is an American singer and actress known for her 1962 hit single "Love Letters", which reached the Top 5 of the charts in the U.S. and the UK. She is also known for her role in the American television series, Little House on the Prairie.
Ketty Lester was born Revoyda Frierson on August 16, 1934, in Hope, Arkansas. Her parents were farmers who would eventually have 15 children in all. As a young child, Lester first sang in her church, and later in school choirs. She won a scholarship to study music at San Francisco State College, and in the early 1950s began performing under the name "Ketty Lester" in the city's Purple Onion club. She later toured Europe as a singer with Cab Calloway's orchestra.
Ketty Lester (as Revoyda Frierson) appeared as a contestant on the December 26, 1957 episode of You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. Lester sang "You Do Something to Me". The chosen category was "Mother Goose", a subject she admitted knowing nothing about; George Fenneman fed the correct answers to her and she and her partner won $1,000.
Returning to California, she recorded her first single, "Queen For A Day", for the Everest label. She was introduced by Dorothy Shay to record producers and songwriters Ed Cobb and Lincoln Mayorga, of The Four Preps and The Piltdown Men, who won her a contract with Era Records in Los Angeles. In 1961 they released her single, "I'm a Fool to Want You" b/w "Love Letters".
Radio listeners and disc jockeys preferred the B-side, a reworking of a 1945 hit by Dick Haymes, and Lester's recording of "Love Letters", which featured Lincoln Mayorga's sparse piano arrangement and Earl Palmer on drums, rose to # 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 1962.
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