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

And thanks for the additional info and insight. I've been listening to a lot of big band stuff lately, and one easily gets into the obscure singers when you start listening to the more obscure recordings (i.e., those made during the waning years of a band leader's career).

 

Yes, many 78s sound like a real instrument or a real voice, in full three dimensions. If you do a synched A/B with even the best CD version (or LP version), the CD (or LP) sound seems artificial in comparison - a replica - and the whole thing sounds like it has been flattened on a sheet of paper. Now if you have the true best 78 playback system (1950's GE mono cartridge, large cone speaker, proper non-RIAA EQ, etc) it really sounds incredible (I don't have that system, but a friend does)

 

Regarding Barbara Dane - I was up late last night watching an old episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour and saw Barbara Dane singing. Nice episode with Angie Dickinson. Ms. Dane has a link to the clip on her website (which I came across when trying to figure out who was singing). There is also a clip on her page with her singing with Gene Krupa and Louis Armstrong. She truly is obscure and neglected but she is still performing at almost 90! Link is at the little icon below.



 

Listening to some Bunny Berigan and heard a singer named Kathleen "Kitty" Lane. Nice voice - a bit on the cute side like Helen Forrest. Never heard of her until today.

Kathleen Lane - Wikipedia

Here she is singing "Deed I Do" with Berigan's band.

 

I was going through my record shelves and found a copy of a Spanish release of Teddi King's Bidin' My Time from about 1956 or 1958. Interestingly the Spanish title is Ya Es Tarde Para Soñar which I think translates to something like "It's Too Late To Dream". I suspect it is exactly the same recordings just picked up by someone serving in the Air Force in Spain.

Yes, she has kind of a heavy vibrato--although not always--which takes some time to get used to and her voice is up front. Accompaniment by Al Cohn and his Orchestra featuring Hal McKusick, Gene Quill, Sol Schlinger, Sonny Russo, Billy Byers, Joe Newman, Freddie Green, Hank Jones, Chet Amsterdam, and Osie Johnson is stellar.

Mostly standards, very nicely done and a keeper. I'd like a cleaner copy though.

Right now I really like I'm Not Supposed to be Blue Blues attributed to Errol Garner and Bob Russell.

 

The renewed interest in the Torch Sessions, makes me think again of The Big Hurt (I mentioned her much earlier in the thread)

 

Yep, I think it's the exact same album:







The track listing above is hard to read, but it looks to me like #5 is "Amor descuidado" and #6 "Por todo lo que sabemos," which would be correct translations for tracks #4 and #5 ("Careless Love," "For All We Know") of the original LP.

Spain seems to have responded favorably to the marketing ploy of prominently crediting prestigious jazz musicians (in this case, Al Cohn) on vocalists' albums. Such albums have been embraced by Spain-based jazz-oriented labels such as Fresh Sound and, presumably by European jazz audiences as well.

It's a nice tune. The version that has been most widely disseminated is Anita O'Day's, from her album with Cal Tjader.

Lyricist Russell has a long list of notable credits to his name. In addition to relatively well-known standards
("Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me," "I Didn't Know About You," "Crazy He Calls Me," "Dance Ballerina Dance," "Brazil," "Frenesí," etc.) he made it into the rock-era music charts with the Hollies' rendition of "He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother." (Three Dog Night also recorded a number of his.)

Garner is of course a far more familiar name, thanks to his career as a pianist and his writing of "Misty."

 

I had an similar experience to @misterjones today while I was listening to an old LP collection called After Hours by Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra. Laura Washington is the featured singer on a single track called I've Got A Right To Cry from 1946. She debuted at the Strand Theater on Broadway in New York that year and had a hit record with Hawkins' orchestra on that performance. It looks like she performed for a time with Hawkins' band and on a limited number of recordings that I could find. She retired in the 1950's and returned to Birmingham, Alabama, to raise a family. She did not sing professionally for some 25 years until her children had grown and her husband had died. She returned to singing in the 1980's on weekends in a Birmingham club and died in late 1990 at the age of 64. Smoky voice sounds maybe a little like Dinah Washington with whom she was apparently good friends.

There must be lots of obscure singers with similar stories, but she apparently was one really believed in. Birmingham jazz musician J.L. Lowe felt she could have become a jazz legend if she hadn't retired. He also said in her obituary, “Her whole style was similar to Ella’s. Musicians who remembered her from the old days were astounded to find out she still had that voice, even in her 60s. Her voice was like an instrument. It was a gift.”

 

Little mix up. It looks like I posted I Had A Good Cry also from 1946 while the hit for Erskine Hawkins with Laura Washington is I've Got A Right To Cry. Same singer, different song.

 

Hey everyone, I'm new here. I found this forum searching for one of the singers mentioned in this thread. I've been lurking for a while, and I figured it was about time I started contributing.

This genre of music is a passion of mine and I've amassed a pretty sizable collection of female singers circa 1955-1965. I intend to share some of the songs and singers that have not been mentioned yet, or maybe were only named in passing.

First up is Ree Brunell, a singer who apparently only released four songs during this era, recorded in 1956. A rudimentary Google search reveals that she was a beloved member of her community in Monterey, California until her death last year. This track demonstrates a lovely tone and a jazzy sensibility. Enjoy!

 

Nice sound. A nice jazzed up version of an oldie from the late 1930s. I think my version(s) come(s) from Shaw's or Goodman's band (or both) . . . one of the Helen's perhaps (Ward and/or Forrest)?

 

It is very nice when singles or EPs included quality songs. Too many were either novelty songs or pure pop arrangements

 

Here's a good, smoky one by Barbara Long, recorded in 1961. The original Savoy LP is near impossible to find, but it has been reissued on a Japanese LP and a Fresh Sound CD. The severe panning of the vocal is a bit distracting, but the great performance makes up for it:

 

Thank you for your two excellent posts; I really enjoyed both of them. Please keep them coming.

 

I will! There are literally dozens more that I wrote down. At the risk of oversharing, I will try to limit my contributions to singers who I really enjoy, and skew them more to the obscure/neglected side of the spectrum.

To that end, here's a track sung by Gwen Stevens, backed by the Johnnie Pate Trio, recorded in 1956. According to the liner notes on the "Subtle Sounds" LP, Gwen was a shining young singing star in Chicago, where Pate discovered her. She recorded four songs with Pate and then vanished from the recording scene, so far as I can tell. Pate went on to become a highly respected composer/arranger. He is still alive and vibrant today. This song, "I Was A Fool" was penned by Pate. It has the makings of a jazz standard, though I am not familiar with any other recordings of it. Enjoy!

 

You are not at the risk.

Thank you for doing this and pointing CD releases. I have this Fresh Sound Barbara Long CD 'Soul: The Voice of Barbara Long' - it sounds pretty good.
We just slowed down a bit... However, everyone should do it.
I, personally, have plenty to share... Unfortunately, I started 5 or more treads (mostly about High-Res. releases and new material Japanese CDs) and it's hard to keep up. But I plane to contribute.

There is no such thing as overshering, especially at this thread. If you would add some thoughts about the already mentioned singers with pointing to some releases that are worth checking out, we only will appreciate it.

 

It appears the singer Damita Jo has not been mentioned yet.

I have just received a Jasmine 2 cd collection of her work, and find it very interesting. She did some almost pop-rock (had a hit with an answer to the Drifters "Save the Last Dance For Me" but also a lot of jazzy pop.

Here's one that's not on the cd



Her treatment of country standards is very imaginative.

 

I want to share my love to this Lady...



Ruth Etting

(from the comment)
"Ruth's mother died when Ruth was five years old. She spent her childhood living with her Aunt Rose and Grandmother, Mrs. George Etting. She enjoyed singing in church and at school but never had any voice lessons. While in high school, she became intrigued with clothing design. She designed and made her own dress for the Junior-Senior banquet, a scoop-neck, sleeveless dress that was scandalous at the time. After graduating from David City High School, she attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts to study clothing design. She was employed by Marigold Gardens, a new night club in Chicago, as a costume designer for the chorus line. One evening, when they were one girl short in the chorus line, Ruth was asked to take her place. She had natural talent and was soon their lead singer and star. Ruth married Moe Snyder, who worked as a bodyguard for entertainers traveling to Chicago. He used his connections to further Ruth's career. Flo Ziegfield saw her perform in Chicago and hired her as the star of the Ziegfield Follies from 1927-1931. She sang and performed across the U.S. and starred in several Hollywood movies. As Ruth's popularity soared, Moe's jealousy and strong-arm tactics became a liability her career could no longer tolerate. After divorcing Moe, Ruth moved to California and purchased a car agency which she ran with the help of Art Etting. When Moe heard that Ruth was spending a lot of time with Art and her accompanist and arranger, Meryl Alderman, he shot Meryl and shot at Ruth, but missed. Meryl was not critically injured and he and Ruth were married two months later. Ruth's career did not survive the sensational divorce and Moe's trial. After World War II and Meryl's return to civilian life, Ruth and Meryl moved to David City for a short time, then settled in Colorado Springs, CO. Ruth died in 1978 at 81 years of age."

My favorite of her 'Close Your Eyes'


It Had To Be You (Live 1936)
It Had To Be You (1936) - Ruth Etting

All of Me (1931)
Ruth Etting - All of me (1931)

I'm Nobody's Baby
I'm Nobody's Baby

Love Me Or Leave Me
Love Me or Leave Me Ruth Etting

More than You Know
Ruth Etting - More Than You Know (1929)

After You've Gone (1927)
After You've Gone (Recorded 1927)

Recently I bought this 2CD set:





and I can highly recommend it to everyone.

 

As the mercury cracks 90 degrees in Chicago this weekend, it's as good a time as any to break out a great rendition of "Summertime." This one is by Jerry Kruger, a singer with an interesting career as a singer and a songwriter. She had stints with Duke Ellington and Gene Krupa in the late '30s. This side from 1939 credits her as the bandleader. Enjoy!

 

I picked up a record today in a thrift shop called My Man by Mary Lou Brewer with Sy Shaffer and his Orchestra (Westminster Hi-Fi WP 6081). Brewer was “discovered” after an appearance on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show on February 17, 1958. She finished second but Godfrey signed her up for a week on his show which eventually became four weeks. Later in the summer she also appeared on the Jack Paar and Jimmy Dean shows and recorded this LP with Shaffer who was music director on Godfrey’s morning show. It’s a mix of standards and “jazzy” show tunes. It seems to be her only record.

Brewer was born Mary Lucille Breen in Washington, District, of Columbia in 1923. Before being discovered by Godfrey she was singing as early as 1940 in the McKinley Technical High School Girls’ Glee Club in Washington, DC, where she was selected the “Most Attractive Girl” in 1942. She won a singing competition on WTOP’s “Song to Remember” in 1945.

Breen married Joseph Warren Brewer in 1942 right after her graduation from high school. By the time her singing career in Washington was picking up in 1954 they had five children between the ages of 2 and 11. Her singing was done on weekends, occasional one-nighters, and as a fill-in singer before earning a longer term engagement singing at the Hotel 2400. After several guest spots on Jerry Strong’s TV show, she became a regular cast member. After appearing on Les Sand’s show in 1955 he became her manager and partner.

Once “discovered” by Godfrey, both he and Paar marketed her as “The new Queen of the Red-Hot Mamas”. That is also how she is marketed on the My Man LP. She is called a “jazz singer” in many newspaper articles, but it seems to me her style was wrong for long term success by 1958. She has a good voice, but she is a belter on this record most of the time. But then she holds it down on parts of songs and you realize she can really sing. I don’t know who to compare her too other than Ronnie Gilbert on her LP of Bessie Smith songs which I really like. Brewer’s one album is certainly entertaining and the more I listen the more I am enjoying the style. Is it jazz? I guess the answer depends on your interpretation.

Brewer seemed to disappear a few years after her initial success, but was back singing in Washington clubs again in 1968. The Washington Evening Star called her “a belter of the old school, but the big problem is that her selections are equally old, if not more so … Mary Lou cannot be faulted so much for how she is singing as what she is singing.” Kind of a rough review but times had changed a lot in ten years.

I’m not sure what she did after that or if she continued singing professionally. She passed away as Mary Lou Kennedy in 2006 and is buried with her husband at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

She caught lightning in a bottle for a moment anyway.

 

Thanks for the discovery. Nice post and very informative.
Just tried the whole album on youtube ...
If this is not jazz, then what can it be?
It's pure jazz in retro style with its own unique and powerful blow.
I would like to have her CDs, but where are they?

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man

Mad About the Boy

 

Thanks. I found this so unique that I had to find out more about her. It took some looking. I'd like to know more about what happened with her career and life, but I'm not sure we ever will know.

That's a good description and those are the two of the songs where she both keeps it in and unleashes her powerful voice. She's reminds me of a singer like Ann Richards (or many others) but with Kate Smith's power. And I don't mean either of those references as critical. She must have been considered retro already in 1958 to the commercial recording industry, although she did get this one shot before disappearing into obscurity.

Maybe "red hot mama" wasn't wrong, but I don't think the description helped her long term.

As for CDs I didn't see any either, but she'd seem like a candidate for a label like Jasmine at least. Maybe a Japanese reissue?

At least she's available streaming and on YouTube. I'd still like Ronnie Gilbert's In Hi-Fi: The Legend of Bessie Smith to appear somewhere other than an old LP.

 

Here's a review of Mary Lou Brewer's My Man from the August 1958 issue of High Fidelity:

“MY MAN” — Mary Lou Brewer — With Sy Shaffer And His Orchestra — Westminster WP 6081 (1-12" LP)

Miss Brewer is a hard-hitting stylist, who has appeared on Arthur Godfrey radio-tv stints, and in various Washington, D.C. niteries. Her vocal heritage belongs, in the main, to the “red-hot-mama” school, which works well for such a strong-voiced performer. The songs here appropriately suit the belting vocal way (“A Good Man Is Hard To Find,” “Some Of These Days,” “How Come You Do Me Like You Do”). Sy Shaffer’s ork supports in semi-Dixieland fashion. Miss Brewer is a capable performer of an all-but-lost pop art.​

And then there was this from the June 15, 1958, issue of the Detroit Free Press. Some things never change.

TV PREVUE: After the spectacle Arthur Godfrey made of himself when Mary Lou Brewer finished her, so-called "red hot mama" number, I'm never going to either listen or watch any of his programs again. It was most disgusting.
EX-GODFREY FAN
Croswell​

 

Here's one from Jean Hoffman, a singer and pianist from Portland, Oregon who broke through in San Francisco in the late '50s. Her style is reminiscent of Blossom Dearie, but without Blossom's distinct coy personality. On this track, recorded in 1958, she is playing an early model of portable electric piano which adds a lot of charm to the piece. Enjoy!

 

They could label her, as they though better for the marketing. But all those "red-hot mamma" numbers deeply rooted in the very beginning of Jazz era of 20's.
A Good Man Is Hard To Find is Bessie Smith number and 'How Come You Do Me Like You Do' was performed by Edith Wilson in 1924 and then covered by many more, including July London and nobody considered it to be disgusting - it's crazy.