A star in her teens, a star in her seventies
Bettye Lavette was 16 when she had her first hit in 1962 and 47 years later she performed at Obama's inauguration. But the path from first hit to recognition has not been smooth.
Bettye Lavette was a 16-year-old growing up in Detroit when she had her first hit, My Man, in 1962. In 2009 she performed at President Obama's inauguration celebration and called it "the greatest day of my life." But the path from that first hit to the recognition sheΒ now enjoys around the world has not been smooth. She talks to Emily Webb about how she spent the intervening years "working, not waiting," and kept her faith that the phone would always ring.
Picture:Β Betty Lavette performs during the Robert Johnson At 100 Centennial celebration at The Apollo Theater on March 6, 2012 in New York City
Credit: Getty Images /Β FilmMagicΒ /Β D Dipasupil
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- Wed 30 Sep 2020 11:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Wed 30 Sep 2020 17:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 1 Oct 2020 02:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected