Obscure & Neglected Female Singers Of Jazz & Standards (1930s to 1960s)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ridin'High, Sep 4, 2016.

  1. Eric Carlson

    Eric Carlson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Valley Center, KS
    That's a really good one too. I hadn't seen anything previously from Torch Song on YouTube. Although I said I've listened to side one a lot, I've started spending just as much time on the second side. Ralph Burns does indeed do a nice job with the orchestra and arrangements.

    +1 on all the linked songs too.
     
    Ridin'High likes this.
  2. Reader

    Reader Senior Member

    Location:
    e.s.t. tenn.
    I have not been able to keep up with this thread due to some outside factors taking up my time but will go back and miss none of it. My lack of comments was mainly due to not knowing most of the music discussed here. If I can't add something worth reading I will probably stay silent.

    I hate to hear you are thinking about closing up. It sounds like you probably have many more lost or obscure songs that need some light. Do consider posting about something that you are enjoying whenever you feel like it and not let the thread be a daily weight you have to deal with doing. The music in this thread especially seems to me to be there to enjoy. I've smiled often when I've listened to some of these songs, both the happy and sad.

    There will be more "likes" added as I go back and give the posts the attention they deserve.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2016
  3. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Singers Of Jazz & Standards (1930-1960)
    Discussed So Far (Pages 1 to 29)


    A
    Bea Abbott, Lorez Alexandria, Ernestine Anderson, Claire Austin, Ethel Azama


    B
    Alice Babs, Mildred Bailey, Pearl Bailey, Eugene Baird, Susan Barrett, Vicki Benet, Betty Bennett, Linda Bennett, Polly Bergen, Sallie Blair, Betty Blake, Connee Boswell, Pat Bowie, Clea Bradford, Teresa Brewer, Georgia Brown, Joy Bryan

    C

    Jackie Cain (aka Jackie Kral, from Jackie & Roy), Dorothy Carless, Carole Carr, Cathy Carr, Georgia Carr, Helen Carr, Betty Carter, Paula Castle, Juliette Augustina Sysak Cavazzi (Juliette), June Christy, Rosemary Clooney, Chris Connor, Carole Creveling

    D

    Barbara Dane, Alice Darr,
    Doris Day, Blossom Dearie, Marge Dodson

    E

    Darlene Edwards (Jo Stafford), Ethel Ennis, Lenny Eversong

    F
    Alice Faye, Frances Faye, Jane Fielding, Toni Fisher,
    Ella Fitzgerald, Rhonda Fleming, Myrna Fox (aka Myrna March), Freddy (Fredesvinda García Valdés)

    G
    Fredesvinda García (Freddy), Judy Garland, Pam Garner, Mitzi Gaynor, Georgia Gibbs, Honi Gordon, Eydie Gormé, Rita Graham, Gogi Grant, Dolores Gray, Dodo Greene

    H

    Toni Harper, Cathy Hayes, Martha Hayes, Claire Hogan,
    Billie Holiday, Shirley Horn, Lena Horne, Alberta Hunter, Lurlean Hunter, Betty Hutton, Ina Ray Hutton, June Hutton, Marion Hutton, Helen Humes

    I
    Tiny Irvin

    J
    Joni James, Fran Jeffries, Etta Jones, Sheila Jordan, Teal Joy, Juliette


    K
    Lainie Kazan, Kathy Keegan, Bev Kelly, Beverly Kenney, Teddi King, Eartha Kitt, Irene Kral, Jackie Kral (aka Jackie Cain, from Jackie & Roy)

    L
    Peg LaCentra,
    Cleo Laine, Abbe Lane, Linda Lawson, Barbara Lea, Peggy Lee, Monica Lewis, Abby Lincoln, Julie London, Tina Louise, Marcy Lutes, Gloria Lynne

    M

    Gisèle MacKenzie, Nancie Malcomb, Myrna March (aka Myrna Fox), Susan Maughan, Marilyn Maye, Maysa, Mary AnnMcCall, Marie McDonald, Carmen McRae, Mabel Mercer, Ethel Merman, Helen Merrill, Marian Montgomery, Marilyn Moore, Shelley Moore, Helen Morgan, Jane Morgan, Jaye P. Morgan, Audrey Morris, Libby Morris

    N
    Bobbe Norris

    O

    Helen O'Connell,
    Anita O'Day, Ruth Olay

    P

    Genie Pace,
    Patti Page, Priscilla Paris, Freda Payne, Roberta Peck, Anne Phillips, Lucy Ann Polk, Jane Powell, Ruth Price

    Q
    Mae Questel


    R

    Ramona, Sue Raney, Bertice Reading, Lucy Reed, Della Reese, Rita Reys, Ann Richards, Trudy Richards, Mavis Rivers, Gale Robbins, Betty Roché, Annie Ross, Lita Roza, Connee Russell

    S
    Felicia Sanders,
    Patricia Scot, Lee Scott, Toni Lee Scott, Dinah Shore, Ginny Simms, Nina Simone, Carole Simpson, Keely Smith, Valaida Snow, Joanie Sommers, Jeri Southern*, Rosemary Squires, Jo Stafford, Mary Stallings, Kay Starr, Dakota Staton, Gale Storm, Barbra Streisand, Maxine Sullivan, Pat Suzuki, Sylvia Syms*

    T
    Pat Thomas, Claudia Thompson, Teri Thornton, Sophie Tucker, Jean Turner


    U
    Leslie Uggams

    V

    Fredesvinda García Valdés (Freddy),
    Caterina Valente, June Valli, Sarah Vaughan, Milli(e) Vernon

    W
    Bea Wain, Annette Warren (Smith), Dinah Washington, Ethel Waters, Frances Wayne, Kitty White, Margaret Whiting, Lee Wiley, Easy Williams, Midge Williams, Pinky Winters, Julie Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Jerri Winters, Gloria Wood, Edythe Wright

    Y

    Susannah Young

    Z
    Monica Zetterlund


    Legend
    This is my second time putting together a list of "Singers Covered So Far." The first version of the list is on page 22.
    1. Blue Name = a singer discussed within the first 22 pages (before the first version of the list).
    2. Bold Name = a singer discussed within the last eight pages (after the first version of the list).
    3. Name in "regular" black font = a singer with her own separate thread in this music forum, and hence left out of the discussion here. An asterisk next to the given name means that an exception was made: the singer was thus discussed here, to a greater or lesser extent.


    Exclusions
    The following singers have been disqualified for discussion. In most cases, the reason for the exclusion has been that their work belongs to genres other than jazz and the Great American Songbook. In a few cases, they do belong to the genres under consideration; however, the bulk of their recorded work falls outside of the thread's established time period (1930s-1960s). Such special cases are being discussed in a companion thread ( Singers of Jazz & Standards (1970-2020) » ).

    Marion Abernathy, Nancy Ames, Pier Angeli, Lil Armstrong, LaVern Baker, Patricia Barber, Jeanne Black, Hadda Brooks, Ruth Brown, Una Mae Carlisle, Meredith D'Ambrosio, Dolores Dinning (The Dinning Sisters), Deanna Durbin, Melody Gardot, Lil Green, Bonnie Guitar, Janice Harper, Jacintha, Etta James, Patricia Kaas, Karin Krog, Beverly Jensen Leys (from Ken & Beverly), Brenda Lee, Ketty Lester, Barbara Lewis, Claudine Longet, Nellie Lutcher, Susannah McCorkle, Jeanette McDonald, Ella Mae Morse, Maria Muldaur, Maureen O'Hara, Ottilie Patterson, Flora Purim, Debbie Reynolds, Bessie Smith, April Stevens, Jane Turzy, Mamie Van Doren, Rusty Warren, Joan Weber, Priscilla Wright, Timi Yuro.



    What's Next?

    During the last few weeks, singers have been added to this thread on a daily basis. From now on, I will be adding one or two only every once in a while.

    Of course, you are welcome to add your own! If they have not been mentioned yet, I'll be happy to try to contribute some photos, clips and comments about them. (And yes, there are definitely plenty more qualifying singers -- enough to keep on filling pages!)

    And if they have been already mentioned, do not worry at all. We can all probably add fresh or new details about them, including which of their songs or records we (dis)like.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2016
  4. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Wonderful thread and nice closing summary for future reference. As enjoyable as it was, I guess it's time to say goodbye to Edythe Wright and the rest. I'll say goodbye with one of my favorite album covers, which encloses numerous songs by Her Wrightness:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    Somewhere up above you may have referred to group singers. Andrews sisters and so on?

    Perhaps for another thread...
     
  6. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Are there any that are neglected or obscure? (Possibly, since if they were I might not know they exist.) It seems like they either make it big - e.g., Boswell, Andrews and Brox - or they don't even get started . . . until the 1950s, at least.
     
  7. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I'm certainly not very knowledgeable on most of them - McGuire Sisters is another.

    I do have a couple of Chordettes cds though
     
  8. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    They seem to be on the cusp of early rock and roll - albeit in the Pat Boone sense - but many of the women noted in this thread were as well. Worth further exploration.

    The Chordettes:

     
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  9. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    . . . and the McGuire Sisters:

     
  10. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    Sweet. :)

    Probably the one song of theirs I know because its been on so many VA compilations.
     
  11. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Those were - and still are - some outfits by the Chordettes. I bet the network censors and/or the sponsors had to contemplate that for awhile. (I know I did.)
     
  12. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Ah, the power of goodbye. Thanks, Mr. Jones, for that kind and appreciative farewell. And cool album cover, that Dorsey one!

    Let us not bury this "Miss Thread" quite just yet, though ... She's still kicking! I promise to follow through on my intention to add more singers periodically -- maybe one per week. A few of my favorite obscure ones have not been even mentioned yet.

    Besides, we still have fellow posters such as Eric, who might share his thoughts about his rare LP by Renee Raff when time permits, in the future.


    I remember planning to refer to groups in the thread's opening post, but I might have forgotten to do so. In any case, I felt back then, and still feel now, that they deserve discussion in their own separate thread. Ideally, it would be a thread dedicated to groups of any gender (male, female, or .... "mixed") and quantity (trios, quartets, quintets).

    Since I'm particularly addressing John and Mr. Jones, here is one name group that popped in mind, and which qualifies as obscure:

    [​IMG]

    And here is a group that I enjoy:

    [​IMG]

    Both from the late 1950s and 1960s, and neither all-female, of course. Will come back later on, when I get a chance, with three of four obscure ones more suitable for this thread, since they were all female.
     
  13. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Here are five all-female groups from the 1940s and/or 1950s, all of whom recorded the type of music under discussion, and neither of whom is widely remembered.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]


    The last one is primarily a gospel group, but their album includes some songs that qualify as both standards and inspirational.

    My scattered thoughts about the groups that were being mentioned earlier: I would say that The Chordettes and especially The McGuire Sisters are/were too successful, and thus well known, to qualify as obscure or neglected. Both groups reached the top (or the near-top) of the music charts. Moreover, the stuff for which they became known (ditties like "Sugartime" and "Lollipop") do not fall into the musical category under discussion.

    On the other hand, both groups recorded standards from the Great American Songbook (whole albums, actually), which is one of this thread's main "requirements") ...
     
    John B Good likes this.
  14. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    I've just checked, and they are the same gals who recorded an answer song to Ebony Eyes by the Everlys.

    The De Castro Sisters look hot - like the Shangri las!
     
  15. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    I thought the thread might be closing. Reports of its death were greatly exaggerated by yours truly. Anyway, glad to see it's still alive.

    "Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia" on the Dinning Sisters album cover caught my eye, so I thought I would compare it with the version I am familiar with (by the Boswell Sisters). Same song, but the different musical and lyrical emphasis is remarkable. I like both, however. Here's the Dinning Sisters' version. The Boswell Sisters' version appears in the next post.

     
    zen likes this.
  16. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
     
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  17. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    [/QUOTE]
    [​IMG]

    Boswells and Dinnings: Whoa. I almost thought that they were two entirely different songs with the same title. After listening to the jazzier version by The Boswell Sisters, it is hard to be enthusiastic about any other version. But, yes, I too found myself enjoying the version by The Dinning Sisters. Was happy that the Dinning interpretation included the song's verse. Both groups added their own brand of humor to the number, too. These were talented harmony-vocal trios!

    To add to the information provided by WayOut Wardell in the message quoted above: not only was the woman who co-wrote "Teen Angel" one of The Dinning Sisters but the guy who had a #1 hit with it in 1960 was their youngest brother, Mark Dinning. (Here he is, introduced by Dick Clark: Mark Dinning "Teen Angel" » .)
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2016
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  18. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    I'll put my hatred of lip-syncing aside long enough to note that the Dinnings were quite a musical family. I'm not sure songs like "Teen Angel" were trying to capture what likely was a more dangerous time to be a teenager or just adopting the dying young theme of many an Irish ballad floating around in folk circles at the time. But that's the subject of another thread.
     
  19. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yeah ... The DeCastros were expected to be hot, since they were Latin (no relation to Fidel)! As little remembered as they are now, they had the fortune of being showcased by Bear Family Records:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    As the title of the CD suggests, their biggest hit was "Teach Me Tonight."

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    I'm listening to Ethel Waters
    tracks from the first Paramount
    box, after reading the chapter
    about her.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

     
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  21. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    [​IMG]

    Went to Habana on one of those cruises
    for $89.50 to spend a few days.
    I went to Habana to look at the natives,
    to study their customs, their picturesque ways.

    Those are the opening lines of The Weekend of a Private Secretary. She says she went to Habana to do some demographic research? Riiight. And she just wanted "to look" at the "natives" and "study" their "picturesque ways?" Suuure.

    Who is she kidding? It's more like, she hopped onto that cruise to cruise and ogle hot-blooded cubans, in whose "customs" she was eager to "partake."

    Soon enough, though, she cops to spending most of her time "studying" with one "native" in particular:

    He showed me the city
    He taught me the customs


    You bet that that wasn't all he showed her. Some cultured lessons, those must have been.

    My trip to Habana was a quite a success.

    Quite the satisfied customer, this one.

    The Weekend of a Private Secretary is actually a concept album. After that weekend of hot hunting and carnal exploration, our secretary has no choice but to return to her regular job in the US. The rest of the album explores her yearning for her latin fling, her mixed emotions over the colorful Cuban, and the memories with which she is left. The poor thing. I imagine that she spent all of her post-vacation week daydreaming (or lusting?) in front of her typewriter, and getting no job done!!!


    [​IMG]


    I love this album. It is a cohesive song cycle, all of it sung and played in a evocative, mellow mood. Recorded for RCA (and released on CD several times in Japan, and once in Belgium), it consists of the following tracks:

    1. The Weekend Of A Private Secretary
    2. That's For Me
    3. She Didn't Say "Yes"
    4. Moon Over Miami
    5. I've Got A Crush On You
    6. Mixed Emotions
    7. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
    8. Orchids In The Moonlight
    9. Under A Blanket Of Blue
    10. We'll Be Together Again
    11. Sand In My Shoes
    12. Memories Of You

    By the way, the title track is not a specialty number created for the album's concept, but a Johnny Mercer tune which was, by the time of the LP's release, about two decades old. (I had fun above, making the lyrics sound like a string of double entendres, but, in truth, they do not overly convey sex.)

    The Weekend of a Private Secretary is available in in entirety in YouTube. Here is one sample track:



    And here is a link to the full album: Charlene Bartley - Weekend of a Private Secretary (1957) »

    On one third of the tracks, including the above-heard "Under a Blanket of Blue," Charlene is accompanied by guitar & bass only (Don Alessi & Milt Hinton). Hal McKusick's Orchestra, featuring Hank Jones on piano, backs her for another third of the album. The remainder, including the title track, counts with the accompaniment of the legendary 'Nuyorican' percussionist Tito Puente, with an orchestra that features Doc Severisen on trumpet. Usually a flamboyant player, herein Puente reins himself in, supplying Charlene with romantic, bolero-style backings.

    Charlene sings in a musical, warm and pleasantly low-key manner that might not necessarily wow listeners, but will still satisfy them. (Well, it satisfied me -- more than a Chesterfield cigarette ever would.) This 1957 album was her one and only. A Los Angeles gal who wounded up living in Boston, she had pre-1957 canary experience with one band (Al Donahue's), radio experience within Beantown (at WHDH), and a handful of singles on tiny, obscure labels (Crystal-Tone, Tune-Disk, Aldon). By 1958, she had her own TV show in Boston, too. Moreover, she had gone on a performing tour in California, where she was also scheduled to appear on a TV show hosted by Bing's son, Lindsay Crosby.

    After 1958, Charlene's track goes cold. Supposedly, she got married and stayed in Boston. That's all what is known, at least on the net. I wonder if perhaps she wedded a musician. Groom(ed) candidates could have included the album's guitarist, the Boston-based Don Alessi (with whom she worked daily on her radio show), and even bandleader Donahue, who was also from the Boston area (and who featured her in his band for at least a decade).

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2016
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  22. misterjones

    misterjones Smarter than the average bear.

    Location:
    New York, NY
    She is - or was - a man, right?
     
  23. Stu02

    Stu02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Apologies for my Luddite comments to follow:
    What does it mean to close the thread. I thought they stayed open for years or frankly forever. I did not realize they could be closed.
    Further why close it. I adore this thread though my busy life only enables me to visit it only occasionally. I have about 60 vintage lps from this genre acquired over the last 30 years or so . I picked up a Polly Bergen sings Morgan last weekend based on what I read here. And quite love it. I planned on this thread being a regular education for the next decades , here's hoping that can still happen
     
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  24. Stu02

    Stu02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    agreed. Think of this thread as a place to go when you choose and if you disappear for a while that's fine too. Others will contribute when they can. No need for daily postings.
    Relax it's all good.
     
    Reader likes this.
  25. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    As the saying goes, "there's no reason for alarm," Stu. I was using the verb "to close" in a figurative sense, which is why I put quotation marks around it. I only meant that I (the thread's starter) would not continue to be an active contributor on a daily basis, as I had been until then. Instead, my new plan from that day onwards has been to come up with a new singer to discuss on a weekly basis. (This week I am sticking to that plan by adding Charlene Bartley and her Weekend of a Private Secretary.)

    I was also making a point about how the action of giving a "like" to any post (whether new or old) can be helpful for me and, I suspect, for many other forum members. That's because, oftentimes, we don't have any other way to know if our posts are being read at all. (Obviously, if any of us feel unsure, we might end up thinking "why bother any longer.") The "like" button is a great alternative to actually posting a response, especially when we are too busy (as we all are at one point or another) or even feeling lazy (as all of us can also be at any time).

    Moving on to something of more interest than the topic above: it's great to hear that your large collection of singers' albums keeps on growing, at this time with the addition of the Morgan songbook from Polly Bergen. The thread has served its purpose once again.

    And nice to hear as well about the prospect of keeping up this thread for the next few decades. Ha, here's hoping!
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2016

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