The Rise and Fall of Esther Phillips

Esther Phillips was born Esther Washington, but became known as Little Esther. Her song Double Crossing Blues went to number one on the R&B charts in 1950. The record success caused friction between Otis and the Robins who he later described as the people who hummed behind Little Esther They decided that they were the big stars, not Little Esther, and that they were going to go on tour on their own. Miss Trust in Blues had a string of hits including All Night Long which would be referenced by both Frank Zapper and Talking Heads. And you can bet with Little Esther on more than a few of them too.