Stella Brooks recorded “I’m a Little Piece of Leather” for Moe Asch’s Folkways in 1940 or so. It was her signature song, and she was given a writing credit. The Beatles supposedly cover the tune during a soundcheck, but I still don’t hear it. More people know the song from the Northern Soul version by Donnie Ebert, like the kids having fun above. I think the Peattie Wheatstraw version pre-dates Stella, however. (Although I am lumping the male versions — ”she’s a little piece of leather” — with the female, or first person).

I was psyched to find Joe Frazier using the term in Sports Illustrated, circa 1970.

There was also for a while a video of a petite female body builder I think from Texas who said she wanted to stay fit to avoid being led around “by a little piece of leather.”

I am also still meaning to contact the band Ballin’ The Jack to hip them to Stella.

I once contacted Gretchen Parlato’s manager to suggest she cover the song. But haven’t really gone into this with many contemporary singers.

Here somebody else put the song to a set of Bettie Page photos; actually I remember clipping the article about the Gretchen Mol Mary Harron film and thinking the same team might want to tell Stella’s story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dynZH72-uI4

see also, below:

https://markweiss86.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/jazz-funeral-for-stella-brooks/