Ella Washington (born October 25, 1943)^[1] is an American former R&B and gospel singer, described as "an outstanding Southern soul vocalist"^[2] and best known for her 1969 hit "He Called Me Baby". She later became a church pastor.

Biography

Washington was born in Miami, Florida, and first recorded in 1965 for the local Octavia label.^[3][4] Her single "The Grass Always Seems Greener" was leased to Atlantic Records for release, but did not achieve commercial success.^[2][5]

In 1967, she began recording for the Sound Stage 7 label in Nashville, Tennessee. Several of her records were produced by radio disc jockey John Richbourg, and were recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.^[3] Her third single for Sound Stage 7, "He Called Me Baby", was a reworking of a 1962 song by Harlan Howard (originally "She Called Me Baby"), which had previously been recorded by many country singers including Bobby Bare and Patsy Cline. Washington's version reached # 77 on the Billboard Hot 100, and # 38 on the Billboard R&B chart, but was her only hit record.^[4] However, she released an LP, Ella Washington, in 1969, and a succession of singles on the Sound Stage 7 label through to 1972, including "Stop Giving Your Man Away" and "Trying To Make You Love Me".^[5][6]

In 1973, she turned from secular to gospel music.^[3] She sang "Amazing Grace" and "Because He Lives" at John Richbourg's funeral in 1986.^[7] By 2009, as Ella Washington Cobbs, she was pastor at Theos Ministries church in Opa-locka, Miami-Dade County, Florida.^[8]

The first compilation album of her recordings, Nobody But Me, was released by Charly Records in 1987.^[9] A CD of her recordings for Sound Stage 7, He Called Me Baby, was issued on the Soulscape label in 2009.

References