CoronaVinyl Day 379 (W): What a Diff'rence a Day Makes by Dinah Washington

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "W," and I went with Dinah Washington's 1959 album What a Diff'rence a Day Makes.

Washington was a jazz, pop, and R&B singer, mainly in the '50s, and she was one of the most successful black female singers of the era.  She got her start in the music business in the '40s as a singer for Lionel Hampton's band, before she went solo in 1946.

Between 1944 and 1962, Washington had 35 Top 10 hits on the Billboard R&B singles chart, including 24 Top 10 singles in a row between 1948 and 1954, and including 5 #1s total, as well as 11 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including 3 Top 10s.

Her most well-known song is "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," which is also known as "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes," as the "made" was morphed into "makes" by singers over the years.  Washington's version was her first Top 10 crossover hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #8.  It also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart.  The song also won a Grammy Award in 1959 for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

That's the title track on this album, which is pretty much all jazzy, standard pop songs.  Again, not really my bag, but I can appreciate Washington's talent.

In her 39 years on this planet, Washington was married six times.  Her sixth husband was NFL Hall of Famer Dick "Night Train" Lane.  In December 1963, Lane and Washington went to sleep, and Lane woke up and found Washington unresponsive.  She had died as a result of a mixture of prescription insomnia and diet pills.  Washington was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "Early Influences" performer.

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Cry Me a River"
The first side reads like the script of the stages of a relationship.  "I Remember You," "I Thought About You," "That's All There is to That," "Cry Me a River," "I'm Thru With Love," and "I Won't Cry Any More."  They all pretty much sound the same, so I went with "Cry Me a River." 

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "What a Diff'rence a Day Made"
This is Washington's classic, and from its inclusion in various TV shows, movies, and commercials over the years, it's instantly recognizable.