Artist:Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
Song:Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
Album:20th Century Masters:The Millenium Collection:The Best Of Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington was already a big star in the jazz world when this duet with Brook Benton was a top ten single in 1960. Not surprisingly, jazz fans were horrified when she "sold out". What else is new? She was born Ruth Lee Jones Aug. 29, 1924 and grew up in Chicago. She was given the name Dinah Washington when she joined the Lionel Hampton band in 1943. She went solo in 1946 and had several hits and also played with the great jazz musicians of the day. In 1959, she had a big hit with What A Difference A Day Makes and followed it up with this duet with Brook Benton. He was a very smooth R & B singer songwriter and both artists were on Mercury Records so it was a perfect pairing. Benton wrote the song and they have tremendous chemistry. This budget comp is OK if you're only interested in Dinah's later hits. There are other comps available if you want a more complete picture. Dinah Washington started having weight problems and died of an accidental mix of diet pills and alcohol on Dec. 14, 1963 at age 39. Here's Dinah Washington performing All Of Me at the Newport Jazz Festival 1958.
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