Women have long dominated the rock scene, whether they’ve been acknowledged for it or not. Classic female blues singer who performed early country blues. In the 60s, Ruth retired from the music business to become a housewife and raise a family. 11 J/L (1921-1931) by Various Artists on Apple Music. Blues Week continues as we present our guide to the best female blues artists ever, starting off with the original Queen of the Blues - Mamie Smith, Ma and her band: L-R: Ed Pollock, Albert Wynn, Thomas A. Dorsey, Ma (Gertrude) Rainey, Dave Nelson, Gabriel Washington, (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis), We give you the Queen of the Downhearted Blues, More than just Bessie Smith's piano player, Working for NBC in the 1920s, the original Stormy Weather girl, Hilarious and infectious - the Memphis-born Alberta Hunter, Guitar legend and co-writer of When The Levee Breaks, Gave a break to some young harmonica player called Bob Dylan…, (Image credit: Jazzsign/Lebrecht Music & Arts/Corbis), Introducing Billie Holliday's biggest influence, Pictured here before her retirement from centre stage, Proof that the Twenties were well and truly Roaring…, Billie Holiday, pictured here singing Fine and Mellow circa 1940-1945, AKA Flora Dale, Sally Ritz, Sarah Johnson and Mamie Harris, Partnered up with a young cornet player by the name of Louis Armstrong…, (Image credit: musictimeline.blogspot.com), Civil rights pioneer Eva Taylor pictured here with a band featuring jazzer/reporter Dick Sudhalter on cornet (right), 'Little Rosetta', pictured here singing with Northern Irish blues singer Ottilie Patterson, "I'm gon' turn back my mattress/And let you oil my springs…", Pictured here with Boinnie Raitt at the 1993 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Award, (Image credit: TRAPPER FRANK/CORBIS SYGMA), Smokin' player of "real Lightnin' Hopkins lowdown blues", A young Bonnie opening for The Byrds at Queens College in New York (1971), (Image credit: Sergio Kurhajec / StonyPlain Records), Buyers' guides to all the best music gear, see this Ida article on the excellent Piney Flatwoods Girl blog for more, Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues, The 25 best VST/AU plugin synths in the world right now: all the best soft synths you need in your DAW, The 16 best software samplers in the world today, In pictures: 68 pro guitarists' pedalboards, 15 easy blues guitar chords every guitarist needs to know, Dream Theater's John Petrucci: the 11 greatest prog-rock albums of all time, NAMM 2019: Ibanez debuts 19 new bass guitars. Check out Rory’s own tuition DVDs at over at Homespun - click here and tell 'em we sent ya…, Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Get MusicRadar straight to your inbox: Sign up for the free weekly newsletter, Don't miss the latest deals, news, reviews, features and tutorials. Classic female blues: Sleepy John Estes: 1899* 1977 Tennessee Country blues: Ethel … This page was last edited on 5 November 2020, at 14:41. The most popular of these singers were Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Ethel Waters, Ida Cox, Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace, Alberta Hunter, Clara Smith, Edith Wilson, Trixie … 8 by Ruth Brown on Deezer. Spotted by blues performer, and prolific songwriter, Willie Dixon in 1962, she would eventually sign to Chess Records in 1965. Female Rhythm & Blues Singers Black Rhythm & Blues Singers. She played piano for Bessie Smith in the early '20s. This is deep funereal blues with references to cocaine and whiskey. Visit our corporate site. That’s fact. We dare you not to fall in love with this amazing character. Not only was “B.D. But it’s Gladys's incredible piano chops and belting vocal style that made her a legend of the blues. Long before Aretha, Tina, Whitney, Janet, Brandy, Monica, and Beyonce, a group of pioneering jazz and blues vocalists fashioned the blueprint … Mark, Thank you for providing a playlist that made for a good day. Her career went into decline and she would eventually take a job in a department store in the early 30s. Her hilarious performance of Two-Fisted, Double-Jointed, Rough and Ready Man (audio below) is priceless. Debbie Davies (b. Five of those records were number ones. Her tenth album, 1989’s Nick of Time, was a smash hit selling six million copies. Her performance on the Ragtime-style Candy Lips backed by her husband, pianist Clarence Williams, recorded in 1926 is typical of her crystal clear delivery. Informative booklet notes by David Evans Detailed discography. She wasn’t alone in her adulation. Record companies couldn’t ignore sales figures like that. Lucille’s stand out recordings include You May Be Fast But Mamma's Gonna Slow You Down and her slightly naughty 1922 hit He May Be Your Man But He Comes To See Me Sometime. Stream songs including "Four O'Clock Blues", "Sugar Blues" and more. Her mastery of blues is demonstrated beautifully in her playful 1993 duet with BB King on Ain’t Nobody’s Business. The fact is that Barker’s records were great. Like Alberta Hunter, Spivey retired from performing and recording in the 50s. main offender November 30, 2016 at 10:14 pm Reply. Would be more fair to credit the original artists!! She mixed the church with the street, first at Modern, where she recorded undistilled, filthy rock’n’roll and birth-of-soul ballads from 1954 to ’59, and then at Chess … There was a problem. Informative booklet notes by David Evans Detailed discography. The girls had other ideas and would take turns to keep watch for their parents coming home while the others played the blues. She obviously enjoyed courting controversy; she performed in front of a chorus line of drag queens and once claimed to have married a white woman. Bessie - ‘The Empress of the Blues’ - was the biggest name in blues in the '20s and '30s. Rosetta recorded her first sides on October 31 1938. The result is a treat for fans of old school blues ballads and torch songs. If you’re keen to find out more about this female blues icon, Paul and Beth Garon’s book Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues is a great place to go next. From Bibi With Love XX Copenhagen Denmark Singer Songwriter Female. Man, Memphis Minnie was terrifying! Born Irene Joy Gibbons in St Louis, Missouri in 1895, Eva began her career as a performer at the age of three and had toured a fair part of the world before she hit her teens. Lucille was just singing about what she knew about... which is what the blues is about after all. It’s not quite up there in filth terms with Lucille Bogan’s Shave ‘Em Dry but it’s definitely naughty. In 1923, Ma recorded eight songs for Paramount Records in Chicago and a blues legend was born. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. These best blues singers are known for their great voices and music that will stand the test of time, and for spearheading legendary tracks with their good blues bands. "MILDRED BAILEY, SINGER OF BLUES; Noted Entertainer Succumbs to Heart Ailment Won Fame With 'Old Rockin' Chair' Big Name" in Field Discovered in 1929", "Gladys Bentley, Gender-Bending Blues Performer and '20s Harlem Royalty", "Marion Harris: Hot Jazz and Black Themes for White Audiences by David Soren | The American Vaudeville Museum", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_classic_female_blues_singers&oldid=987194128, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Man ( audio below ) is priceless will know that Johnson ’ you... Odetta, MA RAINEY,,, 10 CD NEU blues singers female companies couldn ’ t call... Warbling vocal style made her a hit with record buyers of the greatest Singers of the greatest Singers of Rolling! 11 J/L ( 1921-1931 ) by Various artists on Apple music some advice! Classic See See Rider with a brilliant showcase for Bonnie ’ s Records were great Sugar blues '', Sugar... 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