BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY

Vocalist whose long association with New Orleans songwriter/producer/sessionist Paul Gayten resulted in a string of Top Ten hits in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and who later had a career resurgence lasting into the early 1960’s on her own.

Laurie was born Annie Laurie Page in Atlanta, Georgia in 1924 and had recorded without success in 1946 before she was discovered by Gayten who made her a featured performer in his group. The partnership paid immediate dues when backed by Gayten on piano she had a huge hit in “Since I Fell For You” which managed to cross over into the pop charts, still a rare achievement for a black artist on an independent label such as DeLuxe in 1947.

Though this song was more poppish, she was versatile enough where she’d flirted with jazz as well before finding her most appropriate medium with rock ‘n’ roll. Rapidly improving on her initial tentative vocals, Laurie became a fairly confident and commanding singer who could deliver on a variety of approaches from torch ballads to more uptempo material.

After DeLuxe Records was taken over by the King label she followed Gayten to Regal Records, which was owned by the founders of DeLuxe, then after more hits there went with him again to OKeh where despite some good releases her commercial fortunes began to decline. When Gayten took an A&R position with Chess in the mid-50’s Laurie was on her own and it had to seem as though her time in the spotlight was over. But upon her return to DeLuxe (now a King subsidiary) in 1957 she got her biggest hit since her pre-rock side a decade earlier that launched her career, reviving her fortunes and confirming her talents irrespective of whom she was accompanied by.

She continued recording into the 60’s where she landed a final hit before her career wound down a few years later and she became a Jevohah’s Witness, putting her rock days behind her in the process. Laurie died in 2006 at the age of 82.
 
 
ANNIE LAURIE DISCOGRAPHY (Reviews To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):
 
 
I STILL LOVE YOU
(DeLuxe 1006; November, 1947)
Surprisingly stepping back from the pop style that had resulted in her breakthrough hit from the summer, Laurie’s technique improves and with it her confidence as well, making her one to watch. (5)

ONE SWEET LETTER FROM YOU
(DeLuxe 1131; January, 1948)
Though Laurie’s voice is in fine form, she’s not projecting the song with any real sense of its plot, rising and falling with the melody, not the emotional content, which remains a mystery to her throughout, as well as to us. (5)

VOODOO MAN
(DeLuxe 3173; June, 1948)
A good idea with some good moments early on but all involved pull back on the premise, substituting Laurie’s scat vocals for more authentic chanting and it undercuts the effectiveness while selling the story short. (3)

WONDERING BLUES
(DeLuxe 3173; June, 1948)
A new plateau for Laurie who lives up to her promise with an effective vocal performance that drips with emotion and backed by a sparse, fragile but mesmerizing arrangement highlighted by the most haunting guitar heard to date in rock circles. (8)

LONELY BLUES
(DeLuxe 3192; October, 1948)
A tale of two records, the first half featuring Laurie’s self-assured singing and a good guitar break by Jack Scott is quite good, the second half with Laurie scatting nonsense in place of lyrics is abominable and since that leaves the stronger impression it sinks the entire record. (3)

ANNIE’S BLUES
(DeLuxe 3211; February, 1949)
The technical skill finally catches up to her natural vocal ability as she imparts these lyrics with confidence and the full awareness of everything they merely hint at, manipulating the melody like a seasoned pro. (7)

CUTTIN’ OUT
(Regal 3235; September, 1949)
Laurie’s attitude and some intermittently biting lyrics are the best part of her first national hit in the rock idiom but she’s undercut some by mediocre backing which sticks too close to pop styles in the breaks and takes few chances in its arrangement. (5)

MY ROUGH AND READY MAN
(Regal 3235; September, 1949)
Another record that pulls up short of what it could’ve been, never letting Laurie get racy enough to convince you of her lust while the band similarly holds back for fear of offending, yet what’s here has the potential to be far better if they let themselves go. (5)

BABY WHAT’S NEW
(Regal 3246; December, 1949)
A record which aims too close to the pop aesthetic to connect with rock fans, not to mention being pitched too high for Laurie’s voice to comfortably handle though she admirably sticks with it, but in the end it’s a song too compromised by design to really please anyone. (3)

BLUE AND DISGUSTED
(Regal 3246; December, 1949)
A classy record in every way, from the stoic determination in the story to the subtly effective accompaniment to Laurie’s perfect vocal choices, this was the sound of all of them confidently applying the lessons they’d learned together and pulling it off with understated grace. (7)

I’LL NEVER BE FREE
(Regal 3258; April, 1950)
Beautifully sung by Laurie showing great rapport with Paul Gayten whose innovative arrangement highlights the emotional aspects better than any of the other popular versions of the day, making this not only the best rendition of the song but also the pinnacle of their partnership. (8)

I AIN’T GONNA LET YOU IN
(Regal 3273; June, 1950)
A good concept pitting Laurie and Paul Gayten as warring spouses with her laying down the law, but the song doesn’t quite live up to its promise by not giving either enough to do although both are quite convincing in their limited roles. (6)

I NEED YOUR LOVE
(Regal 3273; June, 1950)
A quirky song with elements seemingly drawn from lots of different eras – both earlier and a dozen years in the future – but they mesh together seamlessly and Laurie’s confident vocals selling a mildly racy theme pull this minor gem together nicely. (7)

NOW THAT YOU’RE GONE
(Regal 3300; October, 1950)
The most dynamic performance of Laurie’s career to date, displaying her vocal power while the band blasts away in a jazzy brass-heavy arrangement that hits you in the face, this was definitely atypical but impressive all the same. (7)

GET ME SOME MONEY
(OKeh 6852; January, 1952)
The unambiguous mercenary tactics of Laurie are delivered with a sassy attitude that brings a smile to your face while the band, despite being a little too brassy in its construction, falls in behind her with unbridled enthusiasm. (7)

LONESOME AND BLUE
(OKeh 6882; May, 1952)
One of the more frequently covered songs of the first half of 1952 finds Laurie delivering the best rendition by far thanks to her emotional commitment to the story and a first rate arrangement featuring an aggressive electric guitar to mirror her angst. (8)

I DON’T GET MY KICKS ANYMORE
(OKeh 6882; May, 1952)
From perhaps her best effort to date to her worst on two sides of the same single, as this is a directionless song with a noisy, convoluted and unexciting arrangement which ensures Laurie is unable to harness the vague plot where only the title is intriguing. (2)

YOUR BELONG TO ME
(OKeh 6915; September, 1952)
Forced to cut this soaring pop smash she’s not allowed the chance to radically alter its arrangement for the rock market and since the pop renditions all failed to comprehend the proper emotional reading too, this suffers the same dismal fate. (2)

I FEEL SO RIGHT TONIGHT
(OKeh 6915; September, 1952)
Though the composition is far better, then arrangement is far worse than the top half because it appropriates the blaring brass section found there for what should be a down and dirty rock song thereby utterly wasting a great performance by Laurie. (3)