Ella Washington facts for kids

Ella Washington (born October 25, 1943) is an American singer. She was known for her R&B and gospel songs. People often called her an "outstanding Southern soul vocalist." She is best known for her 1969 hit song, "He Called Me Baby." Later in her life, she became a church pastor.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Ella Washington was born in Miami, Florida, in 1943. She started her music career in 1965. Her first recordings were for a local music company called Octavia.

One of her early songs was "The Grass Always Seems Greener." This song was later released by a bigger company, Atlantic Records. However, it did not become a popular hit song.

Nashville and Her Big Hit

In 1967, Ella Washington began recording for a new label. This was Sound Stage 7 in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of her songs were produced by a famous radio disc jockey named John Richbourg. These songs were often recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Her third song for Sound Stage 7 was "He Called Me Baby." This song was a new version of an older song from 1962. That song was originally called "She Called Me Baby." Many country singers like Bobby Bare and Patsy Cline had recorded it before.

Ella Washington's version of "He Called Me Baby" became very popular. It reached number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached number 38 on the Billboard R&B chart. This was her only song that became a big hit.

In 1969, she released an album called Ella Washington. She continued to release many more songs on the Sound Stage 7 label until 1972. Some of these songs included "Stop Giving Your Man Away" and "Trying To Make You Love Me."

From Soul to Gospel Music

In 1973, Ella Washington decided to change her music style. She stopped singing popular (secular) music. Instead, she began singing gospel music, which is religious music.

She sang at the funeral of John Richbourg in 1986. She performed two well-known gospel songs: "Amazing Grace" and "Because He Lives."

By 2009, Ella Washington was known as Ella Washington Cobbs. She became a pastor at Theos Ministries church. This church is located in Opa-locka, Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Later Recognition

Over the years, her music has been collected and released again. The first collection of her songs was called Nobody But Me. It was released by Charly Records in 1987.

In 2009, a CD of her songs from Sound Stage 7 was released. It was called He Called Me Baby and came out on the Soulscape label.