signed for Mercury Records

She stayed with Hampton’s band until 1946, after the Keynote label folded, and signed for Mercury Records as a solo singer. Her first record for Mercury, a version of Fats Waller ‘s ” Ain’t Misbehavin’ “, was another hit, starting a long string of success. Between 1948 and 1955, she had 27 R&B top-10 hits, making her one of the most popular and successful singers of the period. Both “Am I Asking Too Much” (1948) and ” Baby Get Lost ” (1949) reached Number 1 on the R&B chart, and her version of ” I Wanna Be Loved ” (1950) crossed over to reach Number 22 on the US Pop Chart . Her hit recordings included blues, standards, novelties, pop covers, and even a version of Hank Williams ‘ ” Cold, Cold Heart ” (R&B Number 3, 1951). At the same time as her biggest popular success, she also recorded sessions with many leading jazz musicians, including Clifford Brown and Clark Terry on the album Dinah Jams (1954), and also recorded with Cannonball Adderley and Ben Webster .