Real name: Ila Harriet Fields

Effective period / Period of releases: 1961 - 1972

Soul, blues and R&B singer.
Born 1938, Long Branch, NJ, USA. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with one of her daughters.
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 (5). 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.
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, Canada including Kingston, Belleville, Trenton, and Brockville. She made occasional appearances in the UK for always appreciative Northern Soul devotees.
Ila retired from touring in 2017, and has said she 'I am going to sing until I die. Music is a part of me forever.”