By Joe Moorehouse (205.188.209.38) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 10:12 pm:

I'm surprised to see that no one here has reported the news of Little Ann's demise, which Ady Croasdell reported on one of the soul lists early today. Although she only had one official release in the '60s (on Ric-Tic, a decent record that has caught the ear of the funk crowd a bit), several outstanding songs came to light a few years back via the Kent CD series, Dave Hamilton's Detroit Dancers. The best of them--Who Are You Trying to Fool and What Should I Do--are in my opinion among the greatest soul songs ever to come out of Detroit. It's astounding that they weren't put on vinyl when they were recorded, but thankfully we have them to enjoy now. I'd been hoping to meet Little Ann later this year, and from everything I'd heard, she was a bright, kind, and unassuming lady. I wish I'd been able to see her at Cleethorpes when she performed there a couple years back. In any case, we've lost another terrific singer, but we haven't lost her songs. Rest in peace, Little Ann.

By acooolcat (61.222.95.58) on Thursday, February 27, 2003 - 10:18 pm:

Joe, This is very sad news. As you say - she made some great recordings for Dave Hamilton. What a sad loss.
Graham

By David Meikle (81.131.212.176) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 03:48 am:

Thanks for reporting this sad news.

I was working on a page dedicated to her on the Golden World story this week.

Can you give us the precise date of her passing Joe?

Thanks
David

By Joe Moorehouse (152.163.188.68) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 06:52 am:

David, I don't have the exact date, though I may be able to look it up locally. According to Ady Croasdell, she died in late January of kidney failure. Apparently she had been awaiting a transplant.

By David Meikle (213.122.130.10) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 07:09 am:

This is really sad.

Ann Bridgeforth R.I.P.

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.33) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 08:33 am:

Little Ann
R.I.P.
mel.

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6) on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 04:36 pm:

This is what Ady Croasdell said of her performance in England.

"It was something of a gamble to bring over an artist who had only ever had one side of one 45 released (the flip of her Ric-Tic 45 was an instrumental). However it turned out to be an astonishing success.

Ann was apprehensive on the inside, yet cool on the outside, when asked to perform her unissued songs to a thousand strangers, three thosuand miles from home, after a 30 year gap.

She took it all in her stride and delivered an emotional and exciting show which won her even more friends on the soul scene."