Esther Phillips

Esther Phillips - What A Difference A Day Makes

This was recorded at the Millionaire Club in Manchester, 1982, just 2 years before she died aged 48 (drugs/booze!). Great little backing band, guitar solo is close to the single version.

Esther had a career in music with hits throughout the 50's, 60's and 70's. One of her greatest post-50s vocal triumphs was in 1972 with the song penned by Gil Scott-Heron, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" -- a haunting account of drug use. "From a Whisper to a Scream" garnered a Grammy nomination in 1972.

When Phillips lost to the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, the soul diva presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead. In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes".

It reached a high of a Top Twenty chart appearance in the U.S., and Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart. On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of "NBC's Saturday Night" hosted by Candice Bergen. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet to Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.

She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983 she charted for the final time with "Turn Me Out," which only made it to number 83. Throughout the 1970s she also became a close friend of Andy Warhol. Phillips' performing career also reached its zenith during this period.