Blues Women Of The 1920's

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BESSIE SMITH

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--"Smith was unquestionably the greatest of the vaudeville blues singers, and brought the emotional intensity, personal involvement and expression of blues singing into the jazz repertory with unexcelled artistry."

--bisexuality, promiscuity

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IDA COX

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One of the classic blues singers, Cox began her career as a child, appearing on stage in black minstrel shows. early vaudeville work.

She made her first recordings in 1923 and for the rest of the decade recorded extensively for Paramount,

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MARRIED 3 TIMES - 1916, married Adler Cox, who performed as a trumpeter, died in WWI, Ida kept her married name throughout the rest of her performing career.

During the early 1920s, Cox remarried to Eugene Williams and the couple gave birth to a daughter, Helen. ended in divorce. In 1927 Cox married Jesse “Tiny” Crump, a blues piano accompanist (vaudeville circuits). Crump collaborated with Cox in the composition of many of her songs, provided piano and organ accompaniment on several of her recordings, served as manager of her blossoming career during this time.

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Cox’s singing style, a brooding, slightly nasal monotone, was less attractive than that of some of her contemporaries, but there was no denying the heartfelt passion with which she imbued the lyrics of her songs (death as major topic)

-- greatest performances were ‘Bone Orchard Blues’, ‘Death Letter Blues’, ‘Black Crepe Blues’, ‘Worn Down Daddy’ and ‘Coffin Blues’ (accompanied by her husband, organist JESSE CRUMP).

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VICTORIA SPIVEY

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American blues singer and pianist. The daughter of the leader of a string band, she learnt the piano as a child and by the age of 12 was performing at the Lincoln Theatre in Dallas. After working with local artists, she commenced her recording career at age of 19. Black Snake Blues (1926, OK), to her own piano accompaniment, was an instant success. Her voice was lean and nasal and she made much use of moaned syllables.”

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SPIVEY

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early hits with ‘Black Snake Blues’, ‘Dope Head Blues’ and ‘T.B. Blues’, all sung in her unmistakable nasal, acidic tones. She worked as a songwriter for a St. Louis based publishing company in the late 20s, and recorded for a series of labels including DECCA RECORDS, OKEH RECORDS, and VOCALION RECORDS until 1937. She also worked with LOUIS ARMSTRONG, appeared in the early black film musical HALLELUJAH!, and worked in vaudeville until her retirement in the early 50s.