Robert Plant on the “amazing” soul singer Betty Harris
In certain circles, Betty Harris is one of the most revered soul singers to come out of the 1960s. Dubbed the ‘The lost Queen of New Orleans soul’, her esteemed reputation far exceeds her actual commercial success. Although Harris had three hit singles appear on the charts, ‘Nearer to You’, ‘His Kiss’ and ‘Cry to Me’, she remains one of the soul scenes best-kept secrets. Even though she stopped performing in 1970, Harris’ cult following has made her deep cuts exceedingly sought after online and gained her a fan in Robert Plant.
When he played her track ‘There’s a Break in the Road’ on BBC Radio 6’s Music’s Festive Takeover, Plant told listeners: “Get that, that’s the amazing Betty Harris”. Plant said that she, alongside Lee Dorsey and Aaron Neville, were “all working around, I guess the mixing desk, most probably of the New Orleans studios down there”.
Plant went on to say her sound had pioneered funk. “That’s basically the beginning, I think, of The Meters, who are just master funk exponents,” said the Led Zeppelin frontman. “So if you get an opportunity, you check her out on Soul Jazz records, there is a remarkable album called The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul.”
The Meters, much like Harris, never broke through to commercial success. Still, their work has been highly influential on many funk bands, and they’ve been nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction four times. Harris, on the other hand, seemed to fade into obscurity after a spell of Billboard hits in the ’60s.
Plant acknowledged this in the broadcast, saying: “Ironically, it’s a very contemporary sound for Betty; she quit singing the following year after that.” Harris’ career seemed to be taking off at one point, with her set to support Otis Redding on tour, but he died before she had the chance. But Harris continued on, working with the Sansu record label to record ‘Trouble With My Lover’ – with a session group that would quickly evolve into The Meters.
Disheartened by her lack of progress, she ultimately retired from performing in 1970, which seemed to only bolster her image. While she’d flown under the radar before, rumours were now circulating that Harris drove a tractor to make ends meet. For a long time, she was entirely unaware she’d built up a cult following, particularly as many of her new fans were in the UK, owing to the rise of Northern Soul.
Amazingly, in 2001, her daughter stumbled across several fan sites dedicated to her, prompting Harris to tentatively join a soul mailing list. In 2007, she released her first genuine studio album, Intuition, and her ’60s era classics were revived with the compilation album Betty Harris: The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul reissued.