Bettye LaVette

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It seems like Bettye LaVette's time has finally come. Some 50 years after her first and only hit, “My Man — He's a Loving Man,” the Detroit singer with the powerhouse voice is getting long-overdue recognition thanks in part to her no-holds-barred autobiography, A Woman Like Me, which chronicles a rugged half-century in the music business.

A couple of high-profile gigs in 2008 — singing at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration and a Kennedy Center tribute to The Who — certainly didn't hurt.

Songs in the segment from the album, "Thankful N' Thoughtful".