LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Volume 3

LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Volume 3

           

This third opus of our "Ladies sing the blues" series, focused on little known female singers, gathers - contrarily to the two previous volumes which were focused on one blueswoman - three of those ladies who recorded during the immediate postwar years in a jazz/R&B idiom.

            Singer pianist/accordionist Christine Chatman has recorded under her name and as an accompanist or the featured vocalist for many R&B bands: Hank Ballard's Midnighters; Peppy Prince Orchestra; Jack Mc Vea's Combo; Percy Mayfield... and even The Platters (all their 1954 sessions). Sometimes confused with Memphis Slim's French wife Christine (!), she has no relationship with Peter Chatman (Memphis Slim). Her life and whereabouts have been first documented by blues researchers Dan Kochakian and Dave Penny (cf Blues & Rhythm Magazine 224), drawing the attention of Christine's nephew, contemporary drummer Rich Coleman who added a lot of new infos about his quite legendary aunt in Blues & Rhythm 326. We have gathered here the wonderful 15 tracks she recorded as a lead singer.

            I must confess I have no info at all about jazz/R&B vocalist Geraldine Carter who seems to have recorded only those four 1947 tracks (?) as the featured vocalist of the Lloyd Glenn's band. She is certainly not the most expressive female singer of those years but the backing band with Lloyd and guitarist Gene Phillips is first rate and she finally delivers four very nice tracks.

           

Torch singer Jeanne De Metz is only a little bit well documented (thanks to Robert L. Campbell, Robert Pruter and Armin Büttner). She was the singer of saxophonist Johnny Alston's band which was quite popular during the immediate postwar years in Los Angeles' clubs. Jeanne even appeared on The Spotlighter (a local magazine) in 1944 (with the picture herein) that predicted her to be "this lady, in a year or so, will definitely make the top of the ladder"... Which unfortunately never happened. Here are all the tracks she waxed with Alston and his band with the great Walter Fleming on the 88s. plus the band instrumentals from the same sessions.

            Every additional info (or music?) by those quite obscure artists will be greatly appreciated.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

CHRISTINE CHATMAN, vcl/pno; Reginald Adams, tpt; Ralph Bowden, tb; Bill Moore, t-sax; Roger Jones, bs; Horace Washington, dms. New York City, 6 April1944

01. Naptown boogie

02. Bootin' the boogie I

03. Bootin' the boogie II

04. The boogie woogie girl

05. Hurry Hurry (vcl: Big Maybelle)

Christine Chatman, vcl/pno; Gene Ammons, t-sax; Leo Blevins, g; Leroy Jackson, bs; Wesley Landers, dms. Chicago, Ill. 28 February 1949

06. Hey Mr Freddy

07. When your hair turns to silver

08. Do you really mean it?

Christine Chatman, vcl/pno; Little Willie Jackson, t-sax; Peppy Prince, dms; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1953

09. All by myself

10. Wino's lament

11. Run gal run

12. Ain't nothing shaking

Christine Chatman, vcl/pno; Charles Thomas, t-sax; Warren Mc Owens, bs; Peppy Prince, dms; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1954

13. The Honky Tonky

Christine Chatman, vcl/pno; Jack Porter, tpt; Jack Mc Vea, t-sax; William Woodman, t-sax; Gene Phillips, g; Reginald Jones, bs; Rudy Pitts, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1955

14. Hoo doo you baby

15. Oh, how the geese did fly

GERALDINE CARTER, vcl; Lloyd Glenn, pno; Gene Phillips, g; Jake Porter, tpt; Marshall Royal, a-sax; Gene Parker, t-sax; At Edwards, bs; Bill Streets, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 24-26 December 1947

16. Advice to a fool

17. That other woman's gotta go

18. Stranger

19. Texas man

JEANNE DE METZ, vcl; Johnny Alston, t-sax; ; Jack Wilson, tpt; Jack Lake, t-sax/clt; Walter Fleming, pno; Charles Cook, g; Addison Farmer, bs; Al Wichard, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. May-June 1946

20. Everything will be all right

21. Brooklyn jump

22. Ecstasy

23. I'm feeling fine

24. Mr Fine

25. Calypso daddy

26. Red light

Jeanne De Metz, vcl; Johnny Alston, t-sax; a-sax; b-sax; Walter Fleming, pno; Charles Cook, g; Addison Farmer, bs; Al Wichard, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1947

27. Sam the boogie woogie man

28. Weary blues

29. I found a new baby