R.I.P. Fontella Bass

Known for the classic R&B song “Rescue Me,” Fontella Bass passed away on the evening of December 26, three weeks following a heart attack. Read on for more details.

Bass signed with Chess Records in the 1960s but her career first sprang from touring with her gospel singer mother, Martha Bass. Ike Turner also had a hand in her early career by producing several of her first few tracks.

Bass was married to late jazz performer Lester Bowie, who passed away in 1999.