Art Lassiter

Early life

Lassiter was born in 1928 in North Carolina. His parents were cotton sharecroppers, and Lassiter began singing after joining his uncles' gospel group. At the age of 14, he moved to Newark, New Jersey to live with his mother who had moved there for work. While in Newark, Lassiter performed with the Jubilaires.

Lassiter married his first wife, Neaty Ann (née Butler), with whom he had two children. Lassiter later joined the United States Army and served during the Korean War. While stationed in the Far East, he performed in officers' clubs and took up boxing, competing under the name Artie Wilkins (taking his step-father's surname).

Career

After leaving active service, Lassiter returned to the United States. During a cross-country drive, he broke down in St. Louis. While there he sang at an amateur club night, and was given a permanent booking. He often sang covers of Ray Charles songs, and formed The Bel-Airs with brothers George and Murrey Green and Douglas Martin. By late 1955, the band renamed themselves The Trojans and recorded with RCA Records, backing Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm. The group backed Turner again the following February, this time on Federal Records under the name of The Rockers 5.

Turner offered Lassiter a place in his Rhythm Revue, where he subsequently met and worked with Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, and Albert Cook. In March 1960, Turner chose Lassiter to front the Kings of Rhythm. Lassiter's trio of backup singers — Robbie Montgomery, Frances Hodges, and Sandra Harding — were called The Artettes, and eventually formed the foundation of The Ikettes. Ike Turner wrote "A Fool in Love" specifically for Lassiter, but Lassiter failed to turn up to the song's recording session at the expensive Technosonic Studios in St Louis. Tina Turner—then going by the stage name Little Ann—knew the song from rehearsal sessions, and recorded a guide track to act as a demo. Lassiter's failure to appear for the session was around the time he had disagreements with Ike Turner over financial matters; he was soon no longer a member of the Rhythm Revue.

Later life and death

In 1977 Lassiter settled in Washington with then Wife Thelma Lassiter and three children Christine, Arthur Jr., and Lydia. During this time Art performed at many local blues festivals and local venues acquiring a substantial local following. Lassiter spent his final years with his third wife, Ruth Lindgren and two children Miriam and Linnea. He died on August 4, 1994 from throat cancer.