Benny Spellman American R&B singer, died from respiratory failure he was , 79,.

 Benny Spellman was an American rhythm and blues singer, best known for his 1962 hit "Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)," written by Allen Toussaint and the original version of "Fortune Teller", covered by The Rolling Stones among others died from respiratory failure he was , 79,.. "Lipstick Traces" reached #28 on the Billboard Black Singles chart and #80 on the Hot 100.



(December 11, 1931 – June 3, 2011),

Spellman was born in Pensacola, Florida. He worked with Huey "Piano" Smith and sang backup on Ernie K-Doe's #1 hit, "Mother in Law".^[2] He recorded a single, "Word Game", on Atlantic Records in 1965, then he semi-retired from music to work in the beer industry.^[2]
Benny Spellman's contribution to the music industry and his talent was not forgotten. Dianna Chenevert, founder and president of Omni Attractions included Spellman on her roster of Southern entertainers in the early 1980's. When Chenevert booked Spellman, he also autographed the Southern Stars Poster for clients. This helped historically document Spellman's contribution to the music industry, and assisted in providing him with more steady gigs. In August of 1988, Chenevert arranged for Spellman to perform at a party for George H.W. Bush, which coincided with the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. This engagement took place at the Riverwalk's Spanish Plaza. In this same year, Collectables Records issued a retrospective album of 16 of Spellman's recordings from the 1960s. Then in 2009, Benny Spellman was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

 

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