Lily smith
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Big Maybelle
American singer (1924–1972)
Big Maybelle | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mabel Louise Smith |
| Born | (1924-05-01)May 1, 1924 Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 1972(1972-01-23) (aged 47) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, blues, gospel |
| Occupation | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1936–1972 |
| Labels | King Records, Okeh, Savoy, Epic, Brunswick, Scepter, Chess, Port, Rojac, Encore |
Musical artist
Mabel Louise Smith (May 1, 1924 – January 23, 1972),[1] known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.[2]
Childhood and musical background
Born in Jackson, Tennessee, on May 1, 1924, Big Maybelle sang gospel as a child; by her teens, she had switched to rhythm and blues. She began her professional career with Dave Clark's Memphis Band in 1936, and also toured with the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm.[3] She then joined Christine Chatman's Orchestra, and made her first recordings with Chatman in 194
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Big Maybelle
Home » Jazz Musicians » Big Maybelle
Big Maybelle was a top selling performer from the Golden Age of R&B, who could interpret rousing carousing dance music, and bring it all back down with a tender haunting ballad. Born Maybelle Louis Smith in Jackson, Tennessee, she grew up singing in the local Sanctified Church choir in Jackson. Full-figured and commanding, Big Maybelle sang the blues with controlled abandon and a flair for style. In 1932, she won first prize at the Cotton Carnival singing cabaret in Memphis, then toured with an all girl band called the Sweethearts of Rhythm. They played dances from Mississippi to Indiana. From 1936 to 1940, she toured with the Christine Chatman Orchestra and in 1944 she recorded with Christine on the Decca Label. During the 1950s, Maybelle sang with The Quincy Jones Orchestra, the Kelly Owens Orchestra, and the Danny Mendelsohn Orchestra. Her blues shouting style (a female counterpart to Big Joe Turner) brought an R&B hit in ‘53 with "Gabbin' Blues." "Way Back Home" and
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BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY
One of the greatest female vocalists in rock history, possessing not only one of the most powerful voices the genre had ever known but also someone who was in full command of every emotional nuance a song required and versatile enough to handle any type of material from bluesy to jazzy to gospelish to torch songs and uptempo barnburners and make it all seem as natural as breathing.
Born Mabel Smith in Jackson, Tennessee in 1924 she was singing professionally as a teenager in traveling road shows and by age 20 laid down her first recorded sides working with pianist Christine Chatman. Three years later, signed to the growing independent powerhouse King Records she cut a handful of records with some top flight sidemen but the label remained unsure of her direction and she consequently went without a recording contract for five years.
In 1952 she was signed to the OKeh label by renown producer Fred Mendlesohn who rechristened her Big Maybelle and surrounded her with some of the top musicians in the field, including bandleader Leroy Kirkland, a
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