Cry Baby (Garnet Mimms song)

Last updated
"Cry Baby"
Cry-baby-garnet-mimms-enchanters-cd-cover-art.jpg
Single by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters
from the album Cry Baby
ReleasedAugust 5, 1963
Genre Soul blues
Length3:22
Label United Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Bert Berns

"Cry Baby" is a song originally recorded by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters, in 1963, and later recorded by rock singer Janis Joplin in 1970. Bert Berns wrote the song with Jerry Ragovoy. Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters recorded it for the United Artists record label. It topped the R&B chart and went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963, [1] paving the way for soul hits by Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding later in the decade. [2] The third verse was spoken by Mimms until the repeated refrain of the repeated song title. [3] In Canada the song reached #5 on the CHUM Charts. [4]

Contents

Janis Joplin version

"Cry Baby"
Janiscrybaby.jpg
Single by Janis Joplin and Full Tilt Boogie Band
from the album Pearl
B-side "Mercedes Benz"
Released1971
Recorded1970
Genre Soul [5]
Length3:55
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Bert Berns
Jerry Ragovoy
Producer(s) Paul A. Rothchild

In September and October 1970, Janis Joplin recorded it for her album Pearl , posthumously released in 1971. The song was in more of a blues-rock style and produced by Paul A. Rothchild. Her rendition reached #42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, [6] and #20 on Cash Box. The B-side included the track "Mercedes Benz".

The song became usual in Joplin's repertoire and today is often performed by many artists such as Joss Stone, Allison Iraheta, Magdolna Rúzsa. [7]

Related Research Articles

Bertrand Russell Berns, also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include "Twist and Shout", "Piece of My Heart", "Here Comes the Night", "Hang on Sloopy", "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and his productions include "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Under the Boardwalk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erma Franklin</span> American gospel and soul singer (1938–2002)

Erma Vernice Franklin was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin recorded the original version of "Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns in 1967, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award. A cover version of the same song was recorded the following year by Big Brother and the Holding Company, with lead vocals by Janis Joplin. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Me and Bobby McGee</span> Song by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster

"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Gordon Lightfoot released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance on Me". Billboard ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Tate</span> American singer-songwriter(1939–2011)

Howard Tate was an American soul singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Little Bit of Soap</span> 1961 single by the Jarmels

"A Little Bit of Soap", written by Bert Berns, was a song, first sung in a bluesy soul style by the Jarmels, who reached number 12 with it in September 1961 and number 7 on the R&B charts. The song has been covered by many other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Washington</span> American singer (born 1940)

Justine Washington, usually credited as Baby Washington, but credited on some early records as Jeanette (Baby) Washington, is an American soul music vocalist, who had 16 Billboard R&B chart entries in 15 years, most of them during the 1960s. Her biggest hit, "That's How Heartaches Are Made" in 1963, also entered the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Crybaby, Cry-Baby, CryBaby or Cry Baby may refer to:

Garnet Mimms is an American singer, influential in soul music and rhythm and blues. He first achieved success as the lead singer of Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters and is best known for the 1963 hit "Cry Baby", later recorded by Janis Joplin. According to Steve Huey at AllMusic, his "pleading, gospel-derived intensity made him one of the earliest true soul singers [and] his legacy remains criminally underappreciated."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piece of My Heart</span> 1967 single by Erma Franklin

"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.

Jordan "Jerry" Ragovoy was an American songwriter and record producer.

<i>Live at Winterland 68</i> 1998 live album by Big Brother and the Holding Company

Live at Winterland '68 is an album by Janis Joplin with her band Big Brother and the Holding Company. It was recorded at the Winterland Ballroom on April 12 and 13, 1968, and includes live renditions of songs from their studio albums.

<i>Janis Joplins Greatest Hits</i> 1973 greatest hits album by Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits is a 1973 collection of hit songs by American singer-songwriter Janis Joplin, who died in 1970. It features live versions of Down on Me and Ball and Chain which were included on the album In Concert the previous year.

<i>Janis</i> (1975 album) 1975 compilation album by Janis Joplin

Janis is a collection of performances by Janis Joplin, issued in 1975 as a compilation album containing film soundtrack and live recordings. Disc one is subtitled "From the soundtrack of the motion picture Janis ". In addition to concert recordings from Toronto and Frankfurt, there are several short TV-interviews. Disc two contains recordings from Austin, Texas, plus four recordings from San Francisco (1965). The album booklet contains a photo documentary, with 22 pictures from Janis Joplin's life and career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorraine Ellison</span> American singer-songwriter

Lorraine Ellison was an American soul singer and songwriter known for her recording of the song "Stay with Me" in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cry to Me</span> 1962 single by Solomon Burke

"Cry to Me" is a song written by Bert Berns and first recorded by American soul singer Solomon Burke in 1961. Released in 1962, it was Burke's second single to appear in both Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides and Hot 100 singles charts. On March 20, 1962, Burke performed "Cry to Me" on American Bandstand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stay with Me (Lorraine Ellison song)</span> 1966 single by Lorraine Ellison

"Stay with Me" is a soul song co-written by Jerry Ragovoy and George David Weiss. It was first recorded in 1966 by Lorraine Ellison, and produced by Ragovoy.

"I'll Take Good Care of You", written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy, is a song recorded by Garnet Mimms for United Artists in 1966. Though more obscure than the Berns/Ragovoy/Mimms song "Cry Baby", "I'll Take Good Care Of You" is another in their joint body of work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Radcliffe</span> American singer

James Radcliffe was an American soul singer, composer, arranger, conductor and record producer.

"If You Need Me" is a 1963 song co-written and originally recorded by Wilson Pickett. It was made into a bigger hit by Solomon Burke, who sent the song to #2 on the R&B charts that year.

<i>Cry Baby</i> (Garnet Mimms album) 1963 studio album LP by Garnet Mimms

Cry Baby is a 1963 album by Garnet Mimms featuring "Cry Baby" and 11 other hits produced by Jerry Ragovoy.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 403.
  2. Steve Huey. "Garnet Mimms | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  3. Bruce Pollock Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs . - 2014- Page 67 1135462968 "CRY BABY Artist: Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters Written by: Jerry Ragovoy (Norman Meade), Bert Berns (Bert Russell) From the album: Cry Baby and 11 Other Hits Label: United Artists Produced by: Jerry Ragovoy Year: 1963 #1 R&B/Top .."
  4. "CHUM Hit Parade - October 7, 1963".
  5. Molanphy, Chris (September 10, 2021). "Spirit of '71 Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 447.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)