Ila Vann (born 1938) is a Soul, blues and R&B singer.
Born Ila Harriet Fields in Long Branch, New Jersy, USA. Her brothers are Hampton Carlton (keyboard player for the The Mighty Clouds Of Joy) and Paul Vann.
She started out singing in church and was spotted at age 8 by Mahalia Jackson and went on the road as an opening act for her for the next 4 years. She sang with The Blind Boys Of Alabama, The Staple Singers, Clara Ward and Sam Cooke. At age 23, she recorded with Louis Armstrong. Her work with Sam Cooke led to her first recording contract with Arnold Records.
“I was working as a waitress on Broadway, and Sam Cooke came in. I told him I was interested in recording rhythm and blues. Two weeks later, I was in the studio.” A week later she recorded What’s the Matter Baby that went to number 1 in England. This led to countless recording sessions with Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong.
“Louis Armstrong was such a
nice man and so wise. He told me, ‘You will never make a million in the
business because you are so focused on your family, but you will be popular.’ I
turned down a lot of tours because of my children. I would never leave my
family for long. I am thankful because my children now tell me how grateful
they are I didn’t leave them with a sitter for long periods.” Throughout her
30’s, she exclusively performed in NYC. After 14 years of a loving marriage
with four kids, she was suddenly widowed.
Ila hit Broadway in 1972 in the musical Inner City and her move to Roulette resulted in a more commercial sound, and she is especially known for her version of "Can’t Help Loving That Man" from the musical "Showboat". This song later became a huge hit on the Northern Soul circuit in England. Vann broke her Roulette contract due to a lack of promotion/marketing for her work. She continued to be a sought after solo performer as well as providing distinct harmonies with pop greats Barry Manilow.
Following her Roulette recordings, she worked on Broadway musicals, toured with the USO, and the group Business Before Pleasure. She lived in Ontario, Canada for many years and performed in cities and towns around Eastern Ontario. She toured the province for three years, meeting her second husband near Bagotville where he was stationed in the military. She got married and acquired permanent residence. The couple came to Trenton in 1987 when he was posted.. Vann performed for the next four years with the R and B Boys out of Belleville. She also made occasional appearances in the UK for always appreciative Northern Soul devotees. Her husband died in 2002.
Ila continued to perform weekly for the next four years with the R and B Boys out of Belleville. Then, for the next three, she settled into a regular spot at Brandees in Kingston where the owner hired a tight band to back her. There, she met Ian Kojima, the sax player from the Fade Kings, and consequently she did many shows with them before retiring in 2017. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with one of her daughters. Ila Vann was the kind of performer you never forgot, bubbling with energy and full of life, yet was a vastly underrated performer – recognition of her contributions to the Soul Music genre is long overdue.
(Edited from Discogs, The Intelligencer, Loyal Blues & County and Quinte Living.)
