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Another centenary to celebrate, dear reader - the marvellous Blues singer Big Maybelle was born one hundred years ago yesterday. She was a whole lotta woman!
Let's start this triptych of tributes with a song she premiered, that went on to far greater things when it was covered by Jerry Lee Lewis:
The great lady's back catalogue was a mainstay of the Northern Soul scene:
And here's the only footage available on the interwebs of Big Maybelle in all her glory:
Wow.
Big Maybelle (born May Mabel Louise Smith, 1st May 1924 – 23rd January 1972)
I love Big Maybelle and those moves on Quittin‘ Time are incredible. And the stories those all-white audiences tell in these videos.
ReplyDeleteShe was rather fab, wasn't she?
DeleteI'm not sure, but even in historically radical Rhode Island I imagine there was still sufficient prejudice in 1958 to mean black faces were few and far between among the throng. The Northern Soul scene was by its nature "all-embracing", but the UK population in the late 60s/early 70s was much less diverse than it is now. When I was at school, I recall only a tiny smattering of faces of a different colour to my own... Jx
I associate her with dirty blues, but just now when I went to google that connection, nothing came up. I don't know if I'm just imagining it or if google has fallen down on the job.
ReplyDeleteShe's not mentioned in the Wikipedia list of such smut, either. Looking at that list, it appears Lil Johnson holds the crown for the most dirty blues songs recorded - must look her up! Jx
DeleteShe was fab
ReplyDeleteA treat to see her sing live in the last video.
Love it, lover her !
Me, too - somewhat overlooked in comparison to the likes of Bessie Smith, Dinah Washington, et al, but she could hold her own! Jx
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