During the mid 1950s she recorded R&B songs, for RPM Records, often
accompanied by the Maxwell Davis Orchestra as on her 1955 version of
"Hands Off". She toured widely in the US, with Louis Jordan, B. B. King,
Johnny Mathis, Della Reese and others. While none of her records made
the pop or R&B charts, she received good reviews and her discs did
perform well in Decca Record's own sales guides, with her "I Ain't In
The Mood" ranking #1 on their Sepia (race) charts. By 1958, her career
had slowed and she began working for a music publishing firm in New York
City, recording demonstration records of new songs. Her version of
"Light of Love" — later recorded by Peggy Lee — was heard by record
producer Dave Cavanaugh, and as a result of his interest she was signed
to Capitol Records. She recorded two albums for Capitol, including Take
One! and Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?, both released in 1959. While
noted for her "range and power, [she] was equally compelling doing
sentimental, soft ballads."
In 1959, she performed in England, France, Sweden and elsewhere in
Europe, later performing with Quincy Jones, The Platters and Johnny
Hallyday. She settled in France, then Belgium and finally in the late
1960s, in Madrid. In 1971 she won the Costa del Sol International Song
Festival, following which she began recording in Spain for Columbia
Records, although her songs were issued in much of Europe by Decca
Records. She worked with singer Danny Daniel as a duo, Danny y Donna,
and they had a hit in the country with "El Vals de las Mariposas". She
also recorded solo, and her most successful record, "This World Today Is
A Mess" ("Este Mundo es En Conflicto"), which she co-wrote, was an
international hit — though not in the US, where it was not released, or
in the UK — in 1972, reportedly selling over one million copies
worldwide. She is also known for the song "If You Hold My Hand", which
was later sampled for the UK 2007 hit single "Handsfree" by Sonny J.
She returned to the US to live in semi-retirement in Austin, Texas, in
1990. She was active in the Austin Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop
of America. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church, and appeared on
local radio programs. Her last performance in Spain was at a jazz
festival in 2006. She died in Austin in 2013 at the age of 86.
Tracklist:
Take One! (1958)
1. Perfidia (02:27)
2. Maybe You'll Be There (02:47)
3. Lover Come Back to Me (01:57)
4. There, I've Said It Again (02:14)
5. Because of You (02:30)
6. Please Don't Take Your Love Away From Me (02:52)
7. C'est La Vie (02:34)
8. Too Young (02:31)
9. Baby, Get Lost (02:39)
10. I Get A Kick Out Of You (02:26)
11. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere (02:32)
12. Trouble In Mind (02:33)
Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You? (1959)
13. Every Day I Have The Blues (02:46)
14. Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You? (03:06)
15. All Or Nothing At All (01:45)
16. I Laughed To Keep From Crying (02:20)
17. Lonesome And Sorry (01:37)
18. The First To Know (02:31)
19. The Blues Don't Care (02:54)
20. Can't Help It (02:05)
21. Born To Be Blue (02:25)
22. I'll Be Around (02:04)
23. A Cottage For Sale (03:05)
24. I'm Alone Because I Love You (02:32)
Personnel:
Donna Hightower (vcl),
Joe Wilder (tp),
Ben Webster (ts),
Mundell Lowe (g),
Hank Jones (p),
George Duvivier (b),
Don Lamond (d),
Sid Feller (dir)
One of the highest tributes to any musician in a recording session is
that he or she is a “Take One” artist. Donna Hightower is just that, a
singer who delivers perfectly the first time she steps to the mike. In
these late Fifties sides she demonstrated the phrasing, taste and skill
which marked her as one the brightest new vocalist stars of the time.
Backing her are two all-star groups conducted by Sid Feller and
featuring some of the greatest soloists of the New York jazz scene,
including Joe Wilder, Ben Webster, Hank Jones, Georgie Auld, Mundell
Lowe, George Duvivier and Don Lamond.
I was going to say that Donna Hightower "was" - but Ms Hightower was
still performing as late as 2006 in her eighties and she doesn't strike
me as someone who would take kindly to being placed in the past tense
while she's still very much with us, so I'll say "is" - an outstanding
jazz, blues and pop singer. All of those talents are on display on "Take
One!"
Ms Hightower had an exceptional voice: Big, bold, brassy - with an
understated natural vibratto. She could swing, sob, shout, rock-and-roll
and burn your house down. Like Sarah Vaughan she could sing almost
anything and like the Divine One, she was willing to try. Had it not
been for the fact that shortly after she recorded "Gee Baby…." she went
to London for a one-week gig at the Stork Club - and then spent the next
31 years in Europe - she might well have been a star in the US. But,
we'll never know…. Instead, this CD is, to my knowledge, all that's
available today. Fortunately it's an outstanding disc.
The CD is actually two Capitol LPs: "Take One!" recorded in 1958; and, "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," recorded in 1959.
"Take One!" the LP, was recorded in a session that was actually supposed
to be for Dakota Staton. Ms Staton canceled at the last minute and
producer Dave Cavanaugh, now stuck with Sid Feller's All-Stars,
featuring the likes of saxman Ben Webster, trumpeter Joe Wilder,
guitarist Mundell Lowe and pianist Hank Jones cooling their heels with
nobody to play for, suddenly remembered Ms Hightower, (who was working
for a publishing company in Brooklyn). With three hours notice and no
rehersal, Ms Hightower stepped in and stepped up - and man-oh-man, did
she nail it! "Take One!" is a set of standards, including: "There I've
Said It Again," "Please Don't Take Your Love Away From Me," "I Get a
Kick Out of You," and "Trouble in Mind." This is swinging, rollicking
'50's jazz and jazzy pop. Every one of the 12 songs in the set is a gem.
Six months later, Ms Hightower was back in the studio again - and this
time it was her session. The musical credits for "Gee Baby…," are a
little unclear - it was Sid Feller's Orchestra with saxman George Auld,
Chauncey Welsh on trombone, and Mr Jones again at the piano - after
that, the credits are hazy. But the music certainly isn't. Some jazz,
some blues, some pop - Ms Hightower just cranks it up and lets it fly!
The 12 song set includes; "Every Day I Have the Blues," "All or Nothing
at All," "I'm Alone Because I Love You," and of course, the title song.
The sonics are excellent: Ms Hightower's voice is clear and clean and there's plenty of instrumental separation.
