"Double Crossing Blues" is a 1950 song by

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

Quintette, the

Robins Robins may refer to: Places United States *Robins, Iowa, a small city *Robins, Ohio, an unincorporated community *Robins Township, Fall River County, South Dakota *Robins Island, of the coast of New York state *Robins Air Force Base, Georgia * Rob ...

, and

Little Esther Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...

. It was released as a 78-rpm single (731-A) by

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music ...

in 1950. The single went to number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B chart.

Song background

"Double Crossing Blues" was the debut single for Little Esther, who was then fourteen years old, making her the youngest female singer to have a number-one single on the R&B chart. The original Savoy record label showed Otis as the writer, but the actual composer,

Jessie Mae Robinson Jessie Mae Robinson (née Booker, October 1, 1918 – October 26, 1966) was an American musician and songwriter, whose compositions included many R&B and pop hits of the 1940s and 1950s, including " Black Night", " I Went To Your Wedding", a ...

, sued, won an out-of-court settlement in March 1950, and copyrighted the song under her name.

References

1950 songs 1950 singles Soul songs Songs written by Johnny Otis Savoy Records singles Esther Phillips songs {{1950s-R&B-song-stub