Esther Phillips

Diagnoses

Vocation

American singer known for her R&B vocals, although she was a versatile singer, also performing pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music. In 1950, her "Mistrusting Blues" went to number one, as did "Cupid Boogie." Four more Phillips records made it into the Billboard R&B top ten that year. Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year. But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped, partly due to Phillips’ chronic addiction to drugs. She made a comeback in 1962. Billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, "Release Me” which went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop listings. Following her 1965 cover of The Beatles' "And I Love Him" the band flew her to the UK for her first overseas performances. Her 1972 album From a Whisper to a Scream was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California on 7 August 1984, at the age of 48 from liver and kidney failure due to drug use. She was twice nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 1986 and 1987). Link to Wikipedia biography