1. Varetta Mamie Dillard was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1950s whose biggest hit was "Mercy, Mr Percy".
11 Facts About Varetta Dillard
1. 2.
Varetta Dillard was born in Harlem, New York, and spent much of her childhood in hospital due to a congenital bone condition.
3.
Varetta Dillard met Carl Feaster of doo-wop group The Chords, who encouraged her to enter talent contests as a singer, and in 1951 she won two consecutive competitions at the Apollo Theater.
4.
Varetta Dillard was signed by Savoy Records, and had her first recording session with the company in September 1951.
5.
Varetta Dillard then toured with Oran "Hot Lips" Page and The Five Keys before the record company paired her with singer H-Bomb Ferguson for a series of duets.
6.
Varetta Dillard continued to tour, and starred in the first rock and roll show in New Jersey in May 1955.
7.
Varetta Dillard left the Savoy label in early 1956 and signed for the RCA subsidiary label Groove, where she issued several singles, including "I Miss You Jimmy", a tribute to James Dean.
8.
Varetta Dillard went on to record for the Triumph label set up by Herb Abramson, and then for the Club label, a subsidiary of MGM.
9.
Varetta Dillard later worked as a music therapist, with chronically ill children.
10.
Varetta Dillard died of cancer in 1993 at the age of 60 in Brooklyn, New York.
11.
Varetta Dillard's hit "Mercy, Mr Percy" can be heard on the radio in Mafia II.