Stanley Lippitt

Stanley Lippitt was born blind in Macon, Georgia Feb 06, 1945, and moved to Oakland, CA at the age of eight. He thankfully gained partial sight after a series of operations.

He began his songwriting career when he was just fourteen, but with little experience in the music business was soon cheated out of his first two songs by other artists to whom he played them, one ending up as a well-known hit in the R& B charts of the time.

He went to work in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Golden Gate Box and Warehouse Company and soon hooked up with a local studio owner Dick Vance of Dick Vance Studios. Stanley decided to take up voice lessons and in 1961 aged 16 made his first recording for the Vance label as Little Stanley titled "Hey Little Girl" (the same song as Dee Clark on Abner).

Stanley chose the name Little Stanley not just because he was a little over 5 ft, but everybody seemed to be putting little in front of their name e.g. Little Milton, Little Richard, Little Esther, etc. 

He was approached by Five Star Entertainment to go on the road with Sam Cooke (Stanley toured with Sam for 4 years) alongside Little Esther, Johnny Thunder, Jerry Butler, The Upsetters Band, The Crystals, and many more.

When he returned to the Bay Area in 1963 he started his band 'The Five Brooks', whom he met at a local talent show.  They worked around the Bay Area and regionally were known as one of the hottest funk and blues bands of the time. 

Throughout this time still recording tracks for the Vance label, including "Out of Sight Loving" and "The Stran", these now being highly sought after by the underground Northern Soul scene.

Stanley met Marvin Holmes and joined his band Marvin Holmes and the Uptights and was the lead vocalist on Marvin's "Ooh Ooh The Dragon" released on the Uni label. Stanley wrote and arranged many of the releases on the label and this relationship lasted throughout the seventies.

During the '60s and '70s, he also recorded backing vocals for many artists including such hits as The Whisper's "A Great Day" on the Soul Clock label. 

In 1974 "The Master Plan" was released on De-Lite Records with success in two of Stanley's recordings "Clinton Park" and "Frying Pan". These were also later released on Warren Foster and Ronnie Bell's Fos-Glo label Stanley was an A & R man for.

In 1976 Stanley released "My Enchanting Lady" backed with "20-20 Vision (And Still Be Blind)" on the Fos-Glo label followed by "Freakish Part 1 & 2" in 1978.

In 1982 he formed his own publishing company and record label - Magic-O Records and StayFree Music Publishing with the first release being "Switch Your Toosh" sung by Stanley himself. 

It was at this time that Stanley Lippitt had heard Lady Bianca on the local radio singing "Willow Weep For Me" with the Marvin Holmes band. It was a late-night radio broadcast from Ivey's, a popular Oakland club. Stanley was so impressed that he rushed to the club that night, but unfortunately, the club had by this time closed for the night, and wasn't until 1984 before Stanley finally got to meet who was later to become the true love of his life, Lady Bianca.

They formed a partnership in both the record label, publishing, and production company. Stanley wrote the lyrics and Lady Bianca the music.  They produced their first record together entitled "'Daylight Melody"' in 1988 followed by "Passion" backed with "Made Up My Mind".

During the mid to late '80s, Lady Bianca joined several other Bay Area musicians and recorded several releases for Tom Stern's Suspex label as part of the Usual Suspects series. These included "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Fool's Paradise" on the Faraway Places LP (1985), "Let's Make Plans Together" backed with "It's Just A Matter Of Time" on the Reunions LP (1986), these were also released as a single "In The Middle Of The Night" backed with "I Can't Stop Dreaming" on the Dreams LP (1987), also released as a 12" single and "They Played Our Song Today" on the Music About Music LP (1988). These were nearly all songwriting collaborations by Lady Bianca and Stanley Lippitt.

In 1994 they put the record company on hold and went into a deal with Telarc Records. Telarc released a CD entitled "Best Kept Secret". 

In 2000 they met Jim O'Neal and he brought them to Rooster Blues Records where Lady Bianca cut her second CD in 2002 entitled "Rollin". Once again they wrote, arranged, and produced the entire album which received a nomination for a Grammy in both the Blues and R&B Fields - "Daddy Blues Was a Witness" in the Blues category and "Little Drop of Water" in the R&B category. 

Also in 2002 Stanley and Bianca stopped their busy schedule of writing, recording, touring, and teaching as Bianca worked with up-and-coming Blues artists in and around the Oakland Bay area to celebrate their love for each other and got married!

On March 10th, 2007, Little Stanley and the Five Brooks were inducted into the Oakland Blues Society Hall of Fame.

Sadly Stanley passed away in February 2021 but his music will live on.

(Stanley Lippitt at 6th Annual Poconos Blues Festival 1997)