Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs

Subject: early women blues singers and songs
From: lyz
Date: 31 Jul 00 - 06:17 PM

I'm looking for songs and music to learn some songs sng by early women's blues singers. Any help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: celticblues5
Date: 31 Jul 00 - 07:24 PM

Lyz -

Here is a site on Julia Lee. Triangle music (mailorder) has a 5-CD set of her stuff but it costs about $115 (yikes!), so I'm saving up for it.

http://www.sonicnet.com/allmusic/ai_audio.jhtml;$sessionid$ESPJTMYAABGF4CQBIAGCFEY?ai_id=506154

And here's one on Ida Cox

http://www.sonicnet.com/artistinfo/500465.jhtml?_requestid=58472

(It might be easier just to go to Sonicnet.com & then you could put in various artists & see what they have.)

Reissues of Alberta Hunter are not too difficult to find - even the library in little ol' Ames, Iowa has a couple, so check your library or your local state university library.

I recently found a 2-set CD collection at the local Barnes & Noble called "Men Are Like Street Cars...Women Blues Singers 1928-1969" - about $30, but it has 46 tracks & a nice little booklet with it.

I haven't seen a lot of sheet music around - if someone else can clue us both in as to where to find some, that would be great. Otherwise, it's kind of a matter of listening & picking up what you can - which, of course, is easier for vocalists than for instrumentalists, unless you're one of those lucky play-it-by-ear savants!

[Some of the blues series, like the Blues Masters one, have re-issues of the classics, and the Masters one has a fair variety, but it's only 1 CD. Others can be found from time to time in the blues bins, but often they're kind of limited (to the really famous singers). The Street Car set is nice because a wide variety of singers is represented.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Mrrzy
Date: 31 Jul 00 - 09:52 PM

See the NPR thread on American Pop Music too...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 12:38 AM

You might also check into the CD, Four Women Blues: The Victor/Bluebird Recordings Of Memphis Minnie, Mississippi Matilda, Kansas City Kitty and Miss Rosie Mae Moore. RCA Victor released LP reissues of blues from their Bluebird label, including an album called: Women Of The Blues, with Alberta Hunter, Margaret Johnson, Lizzie Miles, Monette Moore, Mamie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Sweet Peas, and Sippi Wallace. The LP's are on RCA's Vintage series. Good luck and happy listening.

chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Stewie
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 03:32 AM

I second Chanteyranger's recommendation of 'Four Women Blues'. There is also another CD reissue of Bluebirds, but I don't know if it's still available: 'Better Boot That Thing: Great Women Blues Singers of the 1920's' RCA Heritage Series 07863 66065 2. It features sides from Alberta Hunter, Bessie Tucker, Victoria Spivey and Ida May Mack. There is also a couple in the Yazoo 2000 series: Various Artists 'I Can't Be Satisfied: Early American Women Blues Singers - Town and Country Vols 1 & 2 Yazoo CD 2026 and 2027. These cover a wide range of early women blues singers from the wellknown to the relatively obscure.

--Stewie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 07:49 AM

lyz, A book you might find interesting is Blueswomen - Profiles and Lyrics, 1920-1945, by Anna Stong Bourgeois (McFarland and Co., 1996). I'm afraid I don't know if it's still in print, but you should be able to order a copy through your local library.

Brian

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 08:17 AM

Harry's Blues Lyrics (link in Max's links above) has many Bessie Smith songs among others.
RtS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 05:39 PM

Document Record claims to have "the Complete Recorded Works of Every Pre-War Blues and Gospel Artist". CAMSCO Music carries all of them. Cheap. Why go elsewhere?

call 800/548-FOLK and ask for dick greenhaus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 01 Aug 00 - 05:44 PM

Sippie Wallace has been reissued, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: lyz
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 08:00 PM

thank you for all the info. i'm sorry it's taken so long to get back yo you all but i've just been taught by catrin how to use this site. i'm definately going to follow up the info. cheers.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Stewie
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 08:16 PM

Recently, Yazoo added another women's blues CD to its 2000 series: Various Artists 'Barrelhouse Mamas: Born in the Alley Raised Up in the Slum' Yazoo 2044. These are 1920s and 1930s recordings of women blues singers accompanied by barrelhouse blues pianists. Those featured include Ivy Smith, Ida May Mack, Dorothy Baker, Lil Johnson, St Louis Bessie etc.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: dwditty
Date: 06 Nov 00 - 08:20 PM

Besse Smith and Billie Holiday are two of my favorites.
dw

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: maire-aine
Date: 29 May 05 - 12:58 AM

Question: were any of these women (pre-1970, say) musicians too, or where they strictly vocalists?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Kaleea
Date: 29 May 05 - 01:28 AM

On good resource I have found is in old libraries, especially in smaller rural towns. I often find old records which have amazing recordings of the famous and not famous, & sometimes songs I have never heard before.

Maire-aine, I have heard many old recordings in which the lady singing was also playing the Piano. I have heard several ladies who were blues singers telling of how they played Piano or Organ for Church-& most of them sang in the choir. Sometimes one may find an old Hollywood film which has scenes where a well known singer plays piano as they sing. It stands to reason that they also played other instruments.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 29 May 05 - 01:36 AM

I know for sure that Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie both played guitar.
Those are the only ones I can think of right now that played as well as sang...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: Azizi
Date: 29 May 05 - 08:10 AM

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

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: early women blues singers and songs
From: GUEST,Elijah Wald
Date: 29 May 05 - 09:59 PM

You can hear many of the singers mentioned on this thread for free at redhotjazz.com, which is a goldmine of early jazz recordings.