a.k.a. Esther Phillips.
Here, largely drawn from from AllMusic, is the back story:
Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston in 1935, she began singing in gospel, splitting her time between Houston and Los Angeles after her parents divorced. She was thirteen when her sister entered her in a Los Angeles night club talent quest in 1949.
Bluesman Johnny Otis was impressed, added her to his live review, and started recording her. As Little Esther, she teamed with The Robins (who morphed into The Coasters) on Double Crossin' Blues, which was a massive hit in 1950. A series of successful singles followed, along with a switch from Savoy to Federal after a royalties dispute.
Then she fell out with Otis, moved on to Decca in 1953, and based herself in Houston as the temptations of life on the road spiralled into full-blown addiction through the late '50s. Further label switches failed to deliver results, and she was working small clubs in between regular hospitalisations when Kenny Rogers discovered her in a Houston club and signed her to his brother's label. By that point, she was too old to be 'Little' Esther. The 'Phillips' came from the sign on a nearby gas station. The second half of her career under the new moniker delivered significant success, though the substance issues remained. So, Significant. File under: Further Investigation Needed.,
Discography:
In the music library: Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour: The Best Of The Third Series: Flash, Blood And Bone
Leiber & Stoller Story 1: Hard Times: Mainliner Northern Soul & Rhythm N' Blues Essentials: T'aint What You Say
Links (as for Esther Phillips): Wikipedia AllMusic Discogs 45cat Soulwalking Esther Phillips With a Twist