b. Revoyda Frierson, 16 August 1934, Hope, Arkansas, USA. Ketty Lester began her singing career on completing a music course at San Francisco State College. A residency at the city's Purple Onion club was followed by a successful tour of Europe before she joined band leader Cab Calloway's revue. Later domiciled in New York, Lester's popular nightclub act engendered a recording contract, of which "Love Letters" was the first fruit. The singer's cool-styled interpretation of this highly popular standard, originally recorded by Dick Haymes, reached the Top 5 in both the USA and UK in 1962, eventually selling in excess of one million copies. The song has been covered many times, with notable successes for Elvis Presley and Alison Moyet. Its attractiveness was enhanced by a memorable piano figure but Lester was sadly unable to repeat the single's accomplished balance between song, interpretation and arrangement. She later abandoned singing in favour of a career as a film and television actress, with appearances in the series Days Of Our Lives, Little House On The Prairie, Hill Street Blues, and the movies Blacula and The Prisoner Of Second Avenue, to name but a few. She was later coaxed back into the studio, but only on her stipulation that it would be exclusively to perform sacred music.
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YouTube Videos
KETTY LESTER LOVE LETTERS i retracked this video and tried to get the lip synch as good as i could (02:42)
KETTY LESTER LOVE LETTERS
Ketty Lester Tribute (03:05)
Here is a beautiful 50's-ish noir song (popularized by Sarah Vaughan), sung by the great yet forgotten singer Ketty Lester. Like so many other American interpeters of the Great American Songbook who recorded in the...
Ketty Lester - P.S. I Love You (1962) (03:05)
*if you copy & paste &fmt=18 to the end of your URL/address field, then hit enter again, you'll get full Stereo! Ketty does another classic tune from her OOP 1962 Era LP "Love Letters".
Live
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Section 60
- Plug, Sheffield
- Jul 11, 2009
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The Velvet Hearts
- Frog and Wicket, Eversley Cross Hants
- Jul 11, 2009
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Alasdair Roberts
- Luminaire, London
- Jul 12, 2009
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Alasdair Roberts
- Luminaire, London
- Jul 12, 2009
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Niko
- Luminaire, London
- Jul 12, 2009
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The Jet Boys
- Junktion 7, Nottingham
- Jul 14, 2009
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New Generation Superstars
- Junktion 7, Nottingham
- Jul 15, 2009
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The Bridal Procession
- Junktion 7, Nottingham
- Jul 19, 2009
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The Bridal Procession
- Junktion 7, Nottingham
- Jul 19, 2009
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Clint Mansell
- Union Chapel, London
- Jul 20, 2009
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Discography
albums.
- Love Letters - 1962 (Era)
- Soul Of Me - 1964 (RCA Victor)
- Where Is Love - 1965 (RCA Victor)
- When A Woman Loves A Man - 1967 (Tower)
- I Saw Him - 1985 (Mega)
