Dillard, Varetta

Dillard, Varetta 3 February 1933; New York City (Harlem), NY – 4 October 1993; Brooklyn, NY Postwar-era R&B vocalist who recorded a handful of hits for Savoy Records in the early 1950s. Born with a rare bone disease of the legs that required numerous operations, Dillard spent much of her childhood in hospitals, and there she developed her singing talents by performing for the hospital staff and other patients. After competing in a variety of amateur singing contests throughout New York, Dillard…