Bettye LaVette is a survivor (cue Survivor by Destiny’s Child). I wouldn’t be surprised if your response was “Bettye La-who?” Although she’s finally reached the fame she’s been seeking all her life, I don’t know many people outside of MAL and myself who have heard Bettye’s music. Here’s a little background info…
Bettye is one of the greatest soul singers in American history who fought for 40 years to gain mainstream recognition. She was born in Muskegon, Mich. and grew up in Detroit. Although she was discovered at 16 in the heart of the Motown era, legendary artists like Aretha Franklin overshadowed her. What Bettye describes as “buzzard luck” continued for 40 some years. Bettye kept churning out songs, but only six of her forty-fives managed to make the R&B charts. None of them broke into the pop Top 100. To make a long story short, it took Bettye about four decades before her hard work finally paid off. She is now 64 years old. Check out her full biography for more details.
Stop and let that sink in for a minute. Think about waiting 40 long years before you find success doing what you love. Imagine how many times Bettye must have thought about giving in to the angst and frustration and turning her back on her music career. Would you keep pushing on for 40 years if you weren’t getting the credit you deserved for the amazing work you created? I’d like to think I would, but it’s easy to say that from an outsider’s perspective.
If you take a good hard look at Ms. LaVette’s life story, you’ll find plenty of advice on how to achieve success. Here’s what Bettye has taught me:
- Perseverance pays off. You know that old adage about picking yourself up and continuing on after you fall? Well, Bettye epitomizes that. You may have to find new ways of doing things the next time around, but you won’t get anywhere on the path to success if you don’t keep moving forward.
- Tying into that last point about tweaking your style, that’s fine and all, but always stay true to yourself. Bettye talks about her life a lot during her concerts, and one thing she mentioned both times I saw her play live is that she has always remained true to who she is. One of the reasons why she’s such an amazing artist is because she injects her unique musical style into every song. Bettye’s latest albums called “Interpretations” features her renditions of various British rock songs. Many are unrecognizable because she makes them her own. She knows who she is as an artist and she embraces that in every single song.
- Be damn good at what you do. If you want to succeed in whatever it is you set out to do, you must be insanely good at it. Some people are blessed with raw, natural talent; others have to work hard to become great at something. To go along with that, I think it’s important to know when you shouldn’t force yourself to be someone who you aren’t. If you ever have the chance to watch Bettye perform live, you’ll know what I mean about being damn good at what you do. You’ll get a good idea of it from the below video. Incredible doesn’t even begin to describe her vocal talent. Bettye sings with such emotion that you don’t know whether to cry or stand in applause when she finishes a song. You’re left wanting more after each concert. Imagine if your customers felt that way after every time they do business with you.
- Love what you do, and have fun doing it. How can you expect to succeed at something if (1) you don’t absolutely love it and (2) you don’t have a blast doing it? It’s obvious Bettye has a ball when she’s performing on stage. She’s constantly smiling, laughing and joking with the crowd. She dances like she’s still in her 20’s.
- Constantly show gratitude. I can’t count the number of times Bettye thanked people during the two shows I’ve attended. She thanks her band, her family, her friends and producers/musicians who helped her along the way multiple times throughout the show. Thanks yous matter a great deal. When you achieve success, you deserve all the credit in the world. But, don’t forget about those who helped you get there. Perhaps there are rare instances when an individual succeeds without help from a single soul. But, that’s unlikely. Giving thanks and showing gratitude is vital.
If you want more lessons on success from music artists, check out three lessons on success from Lady Gaga.
Care to share any lessons learned on achieving success (doesn’t have to be from a musician)?