“I’m a Little Mixed Up” (1961) – Betty James * Written by Betty James and Clarence Johnson * 45: “I’m a Little Mixed Up” / “Help Me to Find My Love” * Produced by Clarence Johnson and Joe Evans * Label: Cee Jay/Chess
The story goes that Cee Jay label owners Clarence Johnson and Joe Evans heard Betty James in a Baltimore night club and got her in the studio post haste. At the club they’d probably heard something similar to “I’m a Little Mixed Up,” with its crackling guitar hook, courtesy of a man we only know as “Betty James’s husband.” The resulting single became a regional hit and got picked up by Chess Records to become a part of its abundant legacy. The rest is murky history—James would only record one more single in 1966, also with Chess. (She released a single previous to “I’m a Little Mixed Up” with another label in 1960 under her real name, Nadine Renaye). James is apparently still alive, and if so, that should help you look past your “just leave it alone” response to Diana Krall’s 2012 cover and feel glad that money’s being made for her as the co-writer. A Louisville singer named Cosmo kicked up the guitar line to radioactive levels in his own 1961 cover version with a band called the Carnations.