I Want You to Be My Baby

About I Want You to Be My Baby

"I Want You to Be My Baby" is a jump blues song written by Jon Hendricks for Louis Jordan whose recording - made 28 May 1953 - was an R&B hit that autumn. In the summer of 1955 "I Want You to Be My Baby" was remade as the debut disc by comedy musical act Lillian Briggs resulting in an expedient cover version by veteran vocalist Georgia Gibbs: producers Hugo & Luigi had Gibbs fly in from her Massachusetts home to New York City on Wednesday 3 August 1955 to cut "I Want You to Be My Baby" that same afternoon; New York City disc jockeys were provided with acetates of the Gibbs' version by the following morning with regular jockey copies being shipped out Friday 5 August 1955. Neither version of the song would reach the Top Ten: Gibbs' version had the higher chart peak at #14 but it was the rough voiced Briggs - whose version peaked at #18 - who had the million seller. Ellie Greenwich, who as a teenager saw Lillian Briggs sing her hit at Alan Freed's rock and roll shows, chose "I Want You to Be My Baby" as the song to launch her '60s career as a solo recording artist. Produced by Bob Crewe, Greenwich's version reached #83 in the spring of 1967 marking her only US chart appearance as a recording artist (apart from her singles with The Raindrops). She included the song on her 1968 debut solo album Ellie Greenwich Composes, Pruduces and Sings.  more »