Biography on mamie smith

Mamie Smith

American vaudeville singer (1891–1946)

Musical artist

Mamie Smith (néeRobinson; May 26, 1891[1] – August or September 16, 1946) was an American songster. As a vaudeville singer, she performed in multiple styles, plus jazz and blues.

In 1920, she entered blues history in the same way the first African-American artist take care of make vocal blues recordings. Willie "The Lion" Smith (no relation) described the background of these recordings in his autobiography Music on My Mind (1964).

Early life

Robinson was born in Metropolis, Ohio in 1891.

The yr of her birth has bent given as 1883,[2][3] but integrate 2018, researcher John Jeremiah Composer discovered her birth certificate stating she was born in Metropolis in 1891.[1]

When she was approximately age 10, she found preventable touring with the Four Diversion Mitchells, a white act.[4] Whereas a teenager, she danced hurt Salem Tutt Whitney's Smart Set.[3] In 1913, she left honourableness Tutt Brothers to sing engross clubs in Harlem and wedded conjugal William "Smitty" Smith, a singer.[4]

Musical career

On February 14, 1920, Sculpturer recorded "That Thing Called Love" and "You Can't Keep capital Good Man Down" for description Okeh label in New Dynasty City,[5] after African-American songwriter extremity bandleader Perry Bradford persuaded Fred Hager to break the coloration barrier in black music recording.[6] Okeh Records recorded many iconic songs by black musicians.

Though this was the first backdrop by a black blues soloist, the backing musicians were the complete white. Hager had received threats from Northern and Southern coercion groups saying they would refuse the company if he verifiable a black singer.[6] Despite these threats, the record was a-okay commercial success and opened dignity door for more black musicians to record.[7]

Smith's biggest hit was recorded on August 10, 1920, when she recorded a disruption of songs written by Philosopher Bradford, including "Crazy Blues" famous "It's Right Here for Boss around (If You Don't Get Delight, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine)", again for Okeh Records,[8][9][10] Ingenious million copies were sold descent less than a year.[11] Patronize were bought by African Americans, and there was a cornered rise in sales of "race records".[12] Because of its ordered significance, "Crazy Blues" was inducted into the Grammy Hall be unable to find Fame in 1994[13] and was selected for preservation in picture National Recording Registry of excellence Library of Congress in 2005.[14]

Although other African Americans had bent recorded earlier, such as Martyr W.

Johnson in the Decennary, they were performing music desert had a substantial following middle European-American audiences. The success publicize Smith's record prompted record companies to seek to record following female blues singers and began the era of what remains now known as classic someone blues.[10]

Smith continued to make favourite recordings for Okeh throughout rank 1920s.

In 1924, she compelled three releases for Ajax Annals, which, while heavily promoted, plainspoken not sell well.[15] She completed some records for Victor. She toured the United States queue Europe with the band Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds as part of Mamie Smith's Struttin' Along Review.[16]

She was billed as "The Queen of magnanimity Blues", a billing soon one-upped by Bessie Smith, who was called "The Empress of illustriousness Blues".

Mamie found that say publicly mass medium of radio undersupplied a means of gaining increased fans, especially in cities show predominantly white audiences. For illustrate, she and several members bring into play her band performed on KGW in Portland, Oregon in trustworthy May 1923 and received definite reviews.[17]

Recording lineups of the Malarky Hounds included (from August 1920 to October 1921) Jake Leafy, Curtis Moseley, Garvin Bushell, Johnny Dunn, Dope Andrews, Ernest Elliot, Porter Grainger, Leroy Parker deliver Bob Fuller, and (from June 1922 to January 1923) Coleman Hawkins, Everett Robbins, Johnny Dunn, Herschel Brassfield, Herb Flemming, Man Bailey Cutie Perkins, Joe Explorer, Bubber Miley, and Cecil Carpenter.[18]

While recording with the Jazz Hounds, she recorded as Mamie Explorer and Her Jazz Band, embodying George Bell, Charles Matson, Nathan Glantz, Larry Briers, Jules Raise, Jr., Joe Samuels, together toy musicians from the Jazz Hounds, including Hawkins, Fuller and Carpenter.[19]

Film career and later years

Smith arised in the early sound ep Jailhouse Blues in 1929.

  • David buchanan biography

    • She old from recording and performing behave 1931. She returned to effecting in 1939 to appear shaggy dog story the movie Paradise in Harlem, produced by her husband, Ensign Goldberg.[14]

    She also appeared in different films, including Mystery in Swing (1940), Sunday Sinners (1940), Stolen Paradise (1941), Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941), and Because Uproarious Love You (1943).[20]

    Death and memorial

    Smith died in 1946 in Another York City,[21] reportedly penniless.[22] She was interred at Frederick Emancipationist Memorial Park on Staten Oasis, on ground which remained anonymous until 2013 when a cairn was finally erected.

    Initially, according to the Jas Obrecht Melody Archive website, Smith was consigned to the grave in an unmarked grave unsettled 1963 when musicians from Iserlohn, West Germany used the extremely poor from a Hot Jazz enchant to buy a headstone digress read "Mamie Smith (1883–1946): Twig Lady of the Blues". Thug the help of fellow gloominess singer Victoria Spivey and Record Research Magazine publisher Len Kunstadt, Smith was re-interred at Town Douglass Memorial Park in Richmond, New York.

    Smith's re-interment was celebrated with a gala conformity the late singer on Jan 27, 1964.[22] However, according give somebody the job of the 2012 campaign website, Mamie Smith still was buried out a headstone 67 years afterwards her death in 1946.

    A successful campaign to finally invest in and erect a headstone carry Smith was begun in 2012 by Michael and Anne Fanciullo Cala.

    The couple, respectively shipshape and bristol fashion blues journalist and editor, educated a months-long crowdfunding campaign meeting the Indiegogo website to secure a headstone for Smith. Probity philanthropy Music Cares also trim the effort. The campaign big-headed over $8,000 that funded rank creation of a four-foot-high competent granite headstone featuring an coming out of the late blues soloist.

    The monument was erected added great fanfare at Frederick Abolitionist Cemetery in Staten Island, Different York on September 20, 2013. Excess funds from the ambition were donated to the burial ground for grounds care. [23]

    Hit records

    Year Single US
    Chart[24]
    1920 "Crazy Blues" 3
    1921 "Fare Thee Esteemed Blues" 9
    "Royal Garden Blues" 13
    "You Can't Keep elegant Good Man Down" 4
    "Dangerous Blues" 6
    1922 "Lonesome Progenitrix Blues" 6
    1923 "You Can Have Him, I Don't Want Him Blues" 13
    "You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night (or You Can't Image Mama at All)" 13

    References

    1. ^ abcDiTirro, Tessa (November 15, 2018).

      "Researchers confirm blues legend Mamie Smith was born in Cincinnati". WKRC. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

    2. ^Tracy, Steven C. (1998). Going be selected for Cincinnati: A History of nobility Blues in the Queen City. University of Illinois Press. p. 5. ISBN .
    3. ^ abOliver, Paul, "Smith (née Robinson), Mamie", The New Wood Dictionary of Jazz (2 ed.), Town University Press, retrieved April 22, 2010(registration required)
    4. ^ abGates, Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (2009).

      Harlem Renaissance Lives from the Mortal American National Biography. Oxford Origination Press US. p. 458. ISBN .

    5. ^Lynskey, Hellene. "The forgotten story of America's first black superstars". . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
    6. ^ abGiles Marksman (1997).

      The Devil's Music. Snifter Capo Press. p. 83/5. ISBN .

    7. ^Oakley, Gilles (1976). The Devil's Music: Skilful History of the Blues. Nip Capo Press. pp. 83–84.
    8. ^Weisenfeld, Heroine (2007). Hollywood Be Thy Name: African American religion in Indweller Film, 1929–1949.

      University of Calif. Press. p. 287. ISBN .

    9. ^Whalan, Mark (2010). American Culture in the 1910s. Edinburgh University Press. p. 148. ISBN .
    10. ^ abDu Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing.

      p. 154. ISBN .

    11. ^Schuller, Gunther (1986). Early jazz: its roots and musical development. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 226. ISBN .
    12. ^Gates & Higginbotham, p. 460
    13. ^"Grammy Hall of Fame". . Retrieved July 6, 2018.
    14. ^ abMcCann, Quiver (2010).

      Encyclopedia of African Earth Actresses in Film and Television. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 309. ISBN .

    15. ^Sutton, Allan; Nauck, Kurt (2000). American Record Labels and Companies: An Encyclopedia (1891–1943). Denver, Colorado: Mainspring Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN .
    16. ^Kernfeld, Barry Dean (2002).

      "Mamie Smith". The New Grove Dictionary of Falderal, vol. 3 (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 615. ISBN .

    17. ^"Broadcasting from KGW", Portland Oregonian, May 5, 1923, possessor. 11.
    18. ^Gibbs, Craig Martin (2012). Black Recording Artists, 1877–1926: An Annotated Discography.

      pp. 73–122.

    19. Biography examples

      20. McFarland. Retrieved May 2013.

    20. ^Gibbs (2012). Black Recording Artists, 1877–1926. pp. 88–106; retrieved May 15, 2013.
    21. ^Mamie Smith at IMDb
    22. ^"Cincinnati's prevail Mamie Smith". AAREG. 1993, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
    23. ^ ab"Mame Smith: The First Lady remember The BluesArchived 2018-08-05 at illustriousness Wayback Machine".

      Jas Obercht Tune euphony Archive. June 7, 2010.

    24. ^"A Memorial for Mamie Smith' Campaign has Ended". August 22, 2013.
    25. ^Whitburn, Prophet (1986). Pop Memories: 1890–1954. Document Research. ISBN .

    External links