Varetta Dillard was an R&B, blues and soul singer, born In Harlem in 1933, and who defied a crippling congenital bone condition, which impaired her walking throughout her life, to become a singer and win talent contests at the Apollo Theatre in 1951 at the age of 18 which earnt her a contract with Savoy Records. She went on to have three Top 10 hits in the US R&B charts and made great records across two decades before joining gospel groups and working as a music therapist with chronically ill children. This 56-track 2-CD collection comprises most of her A&B sides on the Savoy, Groove, RCA, Triumph and Cub labels from this era. It features her hits with “Easy Easy Baby”, “Mercy Mr. Percy” and “Johnny Has Gone”, the last-named a tribute to the recently-deceased R&B singer Johnny Ace. She was a great interpreter of R&B material by the top composers of the day who provided her with songs, like Rudolph Toombs, Otis Blackwell, Rose Marie McCoy, Charles Singleton, Clyde Otis and Jesse Stone, and this collection offers a substantial overview of her career and a great showcase for her distinctive style as a performer.

CD 1

1. LOVE AND WINE Varetta Dillard (Savoy 822) 1951

2. PLEASE COME BACK TO ME Varetta Dillard (Savoy 822) 1951

3. PLEASE TELL ME WHY Varetta Dillard (Savoy 839) 1952

4. HURRY UP Varetta Dillard (Savoy 839) 1952

5. EASY, EASY BABY Varetta Dillard (Savoy 847) 1952

6. LETTER IN THE BLUES Varetta Dillard (Savoy 847) 1952

7. HERE IN MY HEART Varetta Dillard (Savoy 851) 1952

8. I'M YOURS Varetta Dillard (Savoy 851) 1952

9. THEM THERE EYES Varetta Dillard (Savoy 859) 1952

10. YOU ARE GONE Varetta Dillard (Savoy 859) 1952

11. I CRIED AND CRIED Varetta Dillard (Savoy 871) 1952

12. DOUBLE CROSSING DADDY Varetta Dillard (Savoy 871) 1952

13. THREE LIES Varetta Dillard (Savoy 884) 1953

14. GETTING READY FOR MY DADDY  Varetta Dillard (Savoy 884) 1953

15. MERCY, MR. PERCY Varetta Dillard (Savoy 897) 1953

16. NO KINDA GOOD NO HOW Varetta Dillard (Savoy 897) 1953

17. I LOVE YOU Varetta Dillard  (Savoy 1107) 1953

18. I LOVE YOU JUST THE SAME Varetta Dillard  (Savoy 1107) 1953

19. I AIN'T GONNA' TELL Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1118) 1953

20. (THAT'S THE WAY) MY MIND IS WORKING Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1118) 1953

21. LOVE Loretta Dillard (Savoy 1137) 1954

22. SEND ME SOME MONEY Loretta Dillard (Savoy 1137) 1954

23. JOHNNY HAS GONE Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1153) 1955

24. SO MANY WAYS Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1153) 1955

25. YOU'RE THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYER Varetta Dillard & Roamers (Savoy 1160) 1955

26. PROMISE MR THOMAS Varetta Dillard & Roamers (Savoy 1160) 1955

CD 2

1. I CAN'T STOP NOW Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1166) 1955

2. I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU Varetta Dillard (Savoy 1166) 1955

3. DARLING, LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THIS SONG Varetta Dillard and the Four Students (Groove 139) 1956

4. MAMA DON'T WANT (WHAT POPPA DON'T WANT) Varetta Dillard and the Four Students (Groove 139) 1956

5. GONNA TELL MY DADDY Varetta Dillard (Groove 152) 1956

6. CHERRY BLOSSOM Varetta Dillard (Groove 152) 1956

7. GOT YOU ON MY MIND Varetta Dillard (Groove 159) 1956

8. SKINNY JIMMY Varetta Dillard (Groove 159) 1956

9. I MISS YOU JIMMY Varetta Dillard (Groove 167) 1956

10. IF YOU WANT TO BE MY BABY Varetta Dillard (Groove 167) 1956

11. ONE MORE TIME Varetta Dillard (Groove 177) 1956

12. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF Varetta Dillard (Groove 177) 1956

13. PRAY FOR ME MOTHER Varetta Dillard (Groove 177) 1956

14. LEAVE A HAPPY FOOL ALONE Varetta Dillard (Groove 177) 1956

15. TIME WAS Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-6936) 1957

16. I GOT A LOT OF LOVE Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-6936) 1957

17. UNDECIDED Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-7057) 1957

18. THAT'S WHY I CRY Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-7057) 1957

19. STAR OF FORTUNE Varetta Dillard and The Cookies (RCA 47-7144) 1958

20. THE RULES OF LOVE Varetta Dillard and The Cookies (RCA 47-7144) 1958

21. WHAT'LL I DO Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-7285) 1958

22. JUST MULTIPLY Varetta Dillard (RCA 47-7285) 1958

23. GOOD GRAVY BABY Varetta Dillard (Triumph 608) 1959

24. SCORCHED Varetta Dillard (Triumph 608) 1959

25. TEASER Varetta Dillard (Cub K9073) 1960

26. I KNOW I'M GOOD FOR YOU Varetta Dillard (Cub K9073) 1960

27. A LITTLE BITTY TEAR Varetta Dillard (Cub K9083) 1961

28. MERCY MR. PERCY Varetta Dillard (Cub K9083) 1961

29. YOU BETTER COME HOME Varetta Dillard (Cub K9091) 1961

30. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT I LIKE IT Varetta Dillard (Cub K9091) 1961