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Fontella Bass

 


Fontella Bass performing in 2001 in New York’s Apollo Theatre | Associated Press/Voice of America | Louis Lanzano | tc014


R&B and Soul singer and song writer Fontella Bass was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 3, 1940. 

Born into a famous musical family, she was singing in public from the age of six. She was the older sister of the R&B singer David Peaston (1957 - 2012), and the daughter of gospel singer Martha Bass (1921 - 1988). Aged just five,  Fontella was playing piano at funerals, singing in the Church choir at six and touring with her mother aged nine!

In 1961 she began singing for Little Milton’s show, where she met Oliver Sain. Sain split with Little Milton and formed The Oliver Sain Soul Revue. Fontella and Bobby McClure joined Sain’s Revue. In 1964 both Fontella and Bobby signed with Chess and started recording, both solo recordings and duets. The duet “Don’t mess up a good thing” was the initial success. Then in 1965 Fontella recorded “Rescue Me”. For the session, Chess hired the best musicians this side of Heaven: Maurice White on drums, Louis Satterfield on bass guitar, Pete Cosey and Gerald Sims on guitars, Raynard Miner on piano, Sonny Thompson on organ, Charles Stepney on Vibraphone, Gene Barge on tenor saxophone and Minnie Ripperton and The Gems on backing vocals.

This was Chess’ first million selling record for some time but Bass was disappointed with the financial rewards for providing it. There were other hits but they provided diminishing returns. Fontella and her husband Lester Bowie left America and moved to Paris for a while in 1969.

She recorded for other labels but her 1972 album "Free" was not the success she had wished for and she gave up public performing for a while to concentrate on her family.

In 1990 "Rescue Me" was used in a television advertisement and she successfully claimed $50,000 in royalties.

Fontella Bass received two Grammy nominations. 

Fontella Bass died in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 26, 2012 after a series of strokes which began in 2005.

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