I'd like to add these illustrous names to the list of
[African American] early women blues singers:

Ida Cox {born in knoxville, Tenn,formed her own company, and was still traveling in the 1950s; died in 1968}

Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey {born in Georgia 1886; was called "the Mother of the Blues"}

Lillian Glover {from Memphis, Tenn was called "the Memphis Ma Rainey}

Clara Smith {known as "the World's Champion Moaner"}; in the 1920s was Bessie Smith's chief {singing] rival

Martha Copeland {billed as "Everybody's Mummy"}

Bertha 'Chippie' Hill, came from South Carolina in 1905; {a 'chippie' is a young girl}-her "extreme youth when she started singing" professionally earned her that nickname

Estelle "Mama' Yancey {married to pianist Jimmy Yancey; sang mainly at rent parties and didn't record till 1943}

Edith Johnson {was a good singer, composer, and an occassional pianist}

Julia Lee {a Kansas City singer born in 1902 who played violin as a child; in 1949 she returned to Kansas city and worked with her band there until her death nearly a decade later}

Hociel Thomas {Sippie Wallace's sister}

Also, actress Ethel Waters {"Cabin In The Sky" and "Pinky"},who was born in Chester Pennslyvania in 1900 & started out as a blues singer . As a blues singer her nickname was "Sweet Mama Stringbean". Her signature song then was "Shake That Thing".
Much much later, Ethel Waters became a Christian spokesperson and her signature song became "His Eye Is On The Sparrow".

And there were many more.

All praises due to them...


Source: Paul Oliver's "The Story of The Blues"


Azizi