Biography
Born Evelyn Nelson on 1 January 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri, the future vocalist died on 11 August 1990 in Florida. Between 1936 and 1942 she served as the featured singer with Orrin Tucker’s dance orchestra after the leader discovered her during an engagement at a Chicago club. Tucker signed her, altered her professional name to Wee Bonnie Baker, and featured her on the 1939 recording of the 1918 Abe Olman–Ed Rose novelty “Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny, Oh!” The disc quickly turned into one of the era’s biggest sellers and helped her win a Billboard college poll as Most Popular Female Vocalist of 1940. Subsequent successes included “Stop! It’s Wonderful,” “Billy,” “Would’ja Mind?,” “You’d Be Surprised,” “Pinch Me,” “If I Could Be The Dummy On Your Knee,” “Where Do I Go From You?” and “My Resistance Is Low.” For one season the band and Baker appeared on CBS radio’s Lucky Strike’s Your Hit Parade and also performed in the modest film musical You’re The One. Tucker disbanded the group in 1942 to enlist in the US Navy; Baker continued alone through the remainder of the decade before gradually withdrawing from the music business.
Albums
