LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Volume 5

LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Volume 5

     

     Well... If those ladies featured in the 5th Volume of our series are all good or even great singers, if most of the tracks are good blues with more than a jazz flavor, if they are backed by soulful and very professional bands, they largely stay mostly anonymous artists and with the notable exception of Mabel Robinson, very few is known about her outside their recorded works. At least to me, and despite strong researches through my books and magazines collections and of course the web. Of course, all eventual contributions from readers who'd know better would be greatly appreciated!

            Helen Proctor, a fine singer, recorded only six tracks, two in 1938 and four more the following year when she was the featured singer of Henry "Red" Allen's popular band. We don't know either her whereabouts or what she became after the war.

            Not much is either known about R&B singer Pearl Traylor who recorded between 1945 and 1951 for Modern and Okeh. Several fine tracks with a minor hit with Around the clock Parts I & II. She is backed by great musicians like pianists Hadda Brooks or Willard McDaniel and Chuck Norris on the guitar.

           

Daisy Mae Diggs is also a good jazzy singer from Philadelphia who recorded eight numbers in the mid-50's with her Hepcats, a small jazz group with guitarists Al Russell and Billy Butler. Not much is known about her except that apparently she appeared as a young dancer with the Les Hite's band in the 1933 movie Sing, Sinner, Sing! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=35&v=l2z0QFu6udE&feature=emb_logo)

            And now with Mabel Robinson, born Mabel Brown on March 29, 1914 at Cape Charles, Va. Living in Boston since 1931, she started a career as a singer and pianist during the early 1940's, recording six tracks with Sammy Price on the 88s. This led her to be the featured singer on several bands like those of Louis Jordan, Skeets Tolbert, Sammy Davis Sr (father of Sammy Davis Jr) or Roy Haynes. She married Mr Simms in 1939 and appeared as Mabel Robinson Simms, singing and playing piano in numerous

Boston clubs for decades, as a solo act or with numerous bands. In 1956, she formed the Mabel Robinson Trio with her sister Frances Brown, playing as a regular act at the famous Boston's Moulin Rouge situated in the former Hotel Vendome in the Back Bay. She resigned her musical career in 1968 and died in Boston on January 27, 2005 after being honored by the Boston Jazz Society. She apparently didn't record outside the tracks featured here although there are rumours of an album she would have made in the 1950's.

                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

HELEN PROCTOR, vcl; Pat Jenkins, tpt; Sam Massenberg, tpt; Al Cooper, clt/a-sax; b-sax; Rudy Williams, a-sax; Ed Mc Neil, t-sax; Oliver Richardson, pno; Grachan Moncur, bs; Alex Mitchell, dms. New York City, 19 août 1938

01. Someone outside is taking your mind

02. You'll never miss the water

Helen Proctor, vcl; Henry Red Allen, tpt; Buster Bailey, clt; Lil Armstrong, pno; Ulysses Livingston, g; Wellman Braud, bs; O'Neill Spencer, dms. New York City, 13 octobre 1939

03. Blues at midnight

04. Cheatin' on me

05. Let's call it a day

06. Take me along with you

MABEL ROBINSON, vcl; Four Blackamoors, vcls; band. New York City, 23 juillet 1941

07. You don't know my mind

08. Somebody's getting my love

09. Don't give up the old love

10. Search your heart and see

Mabel Robinson, vcl; Sammy Price, pno; William Lewis, g; Herman Autrey, tpt; David Young, t-sax; Vernon King, bs; O'Neill Spencer, dms. New York City, 20 janvier 1942

11. Me and my chauffeur

12. I've got too many blues

PEARL TRAYLOR, vcl; Hadda Brooks, pno; Bill Davis, bs; Al Wichard, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1945

13. Lonesome gal

14. Daddy somebody's got to go

15. Nightmare boogie

Pearl Traylor, vcl; Vernon Biddle, pno; Howard Mc Ghee, tpt; Teddy Edwards, t-sax; James King, a-sax; Robert Kesterson, bs; Roy Porter, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. septembre 1945

16. Playboy blues

17. Around the clock I & II

18. Gee I'm lonesome

Pearl Traylor, vcl; Hadda Brooks, pno; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1946

19. Jive I like

Pearl Traylor, vcl; Teddy Buckner, tpt; Freddie Simon, t-sax; Maurice Simon, b-sax; Willard Mc Daniel, pno; Chuck Norris, g; Warren Owens, bs; Walter Murden, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 26 juin 1951

20. Come on daddy let's play tonight

21. Three ball Sam (The pawnshop man)

DAISY MAE DIGGS, vcl/dms; Al Russell, pno; Joe Sewell, t-sax; Billy Butler, g; Arthur Russell, g; Doc Starkes, bs. Philadelphie, Penn. 31 mars 1955

22. Want me a man

23. Woman trouble (vcls: Al Russell)

24. Lonesome playgirl

25. Stuff you got to watch

Daisy Mae Diggs, vcl/dms; Billy Butler, g; Arthur Russell, g; Jimmy Butts, bs; Gene Johnson, pno; band. Philadelphie, Penn. 1956

26. Hop scotch

27. Frosty's groove

28. Fanny Duncan

29. Corn pone