Denise LaSalle
Denise LaSalle (Ora Denise Allen, July 16, 1939 - January 8, 2018) was an American blues R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer who, since the death of Koko Taylor, has been recognized as the "Queen of the Blues".
Born near Sidon, Mississippi and raised in Belzoni, she sang in church choirs before moving to Chicago in the early 1960s. She sat in with R&B musicians and wrote songs, influenced by country music as well as the blues, before winning a recording contract with Chess Records in 1967. Her first single, "A Love Reputation" was a modest regional hit.
She established an independent production company, Crajon, with her then husband Bill Jones. Her song "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" (1971) was released on Detroit-based Westbound Records. This reached #1 on the national R&B chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song ranked at #85 on the 1971 year-end chart. The RIAA gold disc award was made on November 30, 1971 for a million sales.
She also wrote successful follow-ups, "Now Run And Tell That" and "Man Sized Job" which made #3 and #4 in the R&B Top Ten and also charted in the Hot 100. Her early hits were recorded at the Hi recording studios in Memphis, operated by Willie Mitchell, using the cream of southern session players. She continued to have hits on Westbound and then on ABC Records through the mid-1970s, including "Love Me Right" (#10 R&B, #80 pop) She continued to produce and perform live. Her co-penned song, "Married, But Not to Each Other" (#16 R&B) was included in the 1979 The Best of Barbara Mandrell, compilation album.
In the early 1980s, she signed as a singer and songwriter with Malaco Records, for whom she released a string of critically acclaimed albums over more than 20 years, starting with Lady in the Street (1983) and Right Place, Right Time (1984). Both albums became major successes among soul blues, R&B and soul fans and on urban radio stations. In 1985, she enjoyed her only recognition in the UK Singles Chart, when her cover version of Rockin' Sidney's "My Toot Toot" reached #6.
LaSalle appeared at the 1984 and 1993 versions of the Long Beach Blues Festival, and also in 1993, she performed at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Her album Smokin' In Bed (1997) sold well. After more than a decade away, when she recorded three albums with small Memphis-based soul-blues label, Ecko, she returned to Malaco for her 2010 outing called "24 Hour Woman". She continues to work as a live performer, particularly at festivals, and more recently has branched out into the gospel genre. In 2011, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
LaSalle lived with her husband, James E. Wolfe, in Jackson, Tennessee, where she opened a restaurant called Blues Legend Café. The restaurant was located at 436 E. Main Street and has since closed.
In 2013 and 2014, LaSalle was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Soul Blues Female Artist' category. On June 6, 2015, LaSalle was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
Discography
Albums
1967 Love Reputation
1971 "craving for you"
1972 Trapped By A Thing Called Love
1972 Doin' it right
1973 On The Loose
1975 Here I Am Again
1976 Second Breath
1977 The Bitch Is Bad!
1978 Under The Influence
1978 Shot Of Love
1979 Unwrapped
1980 I'm So Hot
1981 Guaranteed
1983 A Lady In The Street
1984 Right Place Right Time
1985 Love Talkin'
1985 My Toot Toot
1986 Rain And Fire
1987 It's Lying Time Again
1989 Hittin´ Where It Hurts
1989 Holdin’ Hands With The Blues
1990 Still Trapped
1992 Love Me Right
1994 I'm Here Again ... Plus
1995 Still Bad
1997 Smokin’ In Bed
1999 God’s Got My Back
2000 This Real Woman
2001 I Get What I Want – The Best Of
2001 There’s No Separation
2002 Still The Queen
2003 My Toot Toot: Definitive Anthology
2004 Wanted
2007 Pay Before You Pump
2010 24 Hour Woman
Singles
1967 "Love Reputation" / "One Little Thing"
1970 "Trying To Forget" / "We’ve Got Love"
1971 "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" / "Keep It Coming"
1972 "Now Run And Tell That" / "The Deeper I Go, The Better It Gets"
1972 "Man Sized Job" / "I’m Over You"*
1972 "Heartbreaker Of The Year" / "Hung Up Strung Out"
1972 "Too Late To Check Your Trap" / "Heartbreaker Of The Year"
1972 "Right Track" / "Too Late To Check Your Trap"
1973 "What It Takes To Get A Good Woman" / "Make a Good Thing Better"
1973 "Your Man And Your Best Friend / "What Am I Doing Wrong"
1974 "Don't Nobody Live Here (By The Name Of Fool)" / "Good Goody Getter"
1974 "Get Up Off My Mind" / "Best Thing I Ever Had"
1975 "My Brand On You" / "Any Time Is The Right Time"
1975 "Here I Am Again" / "Hung Up Strung Out"
1975 "Count Down" / "A Promise Is A Promise (And Fly Me To The Moon)"
1976 "Married But Not To Each Other" / "Who's The Fool"
1976 "Hellfire Loving" / "Versions"
1977 "Freedom To Express Yourself" / "Second Breath"
1977 "Love Me Right" / "Fool Me Good"
1978 "One Life To Live" / "Before You Take It To The Streets"
1978 "Workin' Overtime" / "No Matter What They Say"
1979 "P.A.R.T.Y. (Where Is It?)" / "Under The Influence"
1979 "Think About It" / "Versions"
1980 "Try My Love" / "May The Funk B With You"
1980 "I’m So Hot" / "Versions"
1981 "I’m Trippin’ On You" / "I’ll Get Some Help (& Satisfaction)"
1983 "Down Home Blues" / "X-Rated Versions"
1983 "Lady In The Street" / "I Was Not The Best Woman"
1983 "Lay Me Down" / "I Was Telling Him About You"
1983 "Come To Bed" / "Keeps Me Running Back"
1983 "Come To Bed" / "I Was Not The Best Woman"
1984 "Right Place Right Time" / "Come To Bed"
1984 "Right Place Right Time" / "Bump And Grind"
1984 "Treat Your Man Like A Baby" / "Come To Bed"
1984 "He’s Not Available" / "Right Place Right Time"
1985 "My Toot Toot" / "Give Me Yo' Most Strongest Whisky"
1985 "Santa Claus Got The Blues" / "Love Is A Five Letter Word"
1986 "Let The Four Winds Blow" / "Sometimes" / "Right Time, Right Place"
1986 "What’s Going On In My House" / "Learnin' How To Cheat On You"
1989 "Bring It On Home To Me" / "Write This One Off"
1989 "I Forgot To Remember" / "Caught In Your Own Mess"
1989 "Don’t Cry No More" / "Eee Tee"
1990 "Drop That Zero" / "Trapped 1990"
1992 "Don’t Pick It Up" / "Don't Jump My Pony"
1992 "When We’re Making Love" / "Don't Pick It Up"
1992 "Don't Jump My Pony" / "Juke Box Strip"
1992 "Fool Me Good" / "Love Me Right"
1995 "Right Side Of The Wrong Bed"
1995 "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"
2001 "There's No Separation"
2002 "24 Hours"
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