Mildred Bailey
Encyclopedia
Mildred Bailey was a popular and influential American
jazz
singer during the 1930s, known as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". Her number one hits were "Please Be Kind
", "Darn That Dream
", "Rockin' Chair" and "Says My Heart".
, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was half Coeur d'Alene Indian and a devout Catholic. Her father, Charles, played fiddle and called square dances. Her mother played piano every evening after supper and taught Mildred to play and sing. Her brothers were the vocalist and composer Al Rinker
, and the lyricist Charles Rinker
.
and worked as a sheet music demonstrator at Woolworth's
. She married and divorced Ted Bailey, keeping his last name because she thought it sounded more American than Rinker. With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues
and jazz singer on the West Coast
. According to Gary Giddins
' book Bing Crosby – A Pocketful of Dreams – The Early Years 1903-1940, in 1925 she secured work for her brother
, Al Rinker
, and his partner Bing Crosby
. Giddins further states that Crosby first heard of Louis Armstrong
and other Chicago
black
jazz records
from Bailey's own record collection. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman
. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1933 (Whiteman had a popular radio program and when Bailey debuted with her version
of "Moaning Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate, although she did not start recording
with Whiteman until late 1931).
Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for an Eddie Lang
Orchestra session in 1929 ("What Kind O' Man Is You?", an obscure Hoagy Carmichael
song that was only issued in the UK
) and a 1930 recording of "I Like To Do Things For You" for Frankie Trumbauer
. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932 (recording in a smooth crooning style), when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick
in 1933 (accompanied by The Dorsey Brothers
), as well an all-star session with Benny Goodman
's studio band in 1934 that featured Coleman Hawkins
.
In the mid 1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo
. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". During this period (1936–1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion
, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie
's band. Despite her divorce from Norvo, she and Red would continue to record together until 1945. Suffering from diabetes
and depression
(during her adult life Bailey was overweight), she only made a few recordings following World War II
.
Mildred Bailey died December 12, 1951, in Poughkeepsie, New York
, of heart failure, aged 44, chiefly due to her diabetes. Her ashes were scattered. Red Norvo outlived Bailey by nearly half a century, dying in April 1999, a week after his 91st birthday.
In 1939, Bailey fronted a six-side, mostly blues session as "Mildred Bailey and her Oxford Greys" for Vocalion, which featured a small mixed-race combo of Mary Lou Williams
(piano), Floyd Smith (electric guitar), John Williams (bass) and Eddie Dougherty (drums).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer during the 1930s, known as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". Her number one hits were "Please Be Kind
Please Be Kind
"Please Be Kind" is a 1938 song composed by Saul Chaplin with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.-Notable recordings:*Mildred Bailey - *June Christy - Cool Christy *Ella Fitzgerald - Songs in a Mellow Mood and the MCA release "Ella & Ellis"....
", "Darn That Dream
Darn That Dream
"Darn That Dream" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Eddie DeLange, published in 1939.The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Swingin' The Dream.-Recorded versions:...
", "Rockin' Chair" and "Says My Heart".
Biography
Born Mildred Rinker in TekoaTekoa, Washington
Tekoa is a city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 778 at the 2010 census.-History:Tekoa was first settled in 1886 by David A. Huffman and George T. Huffman. The townsite was platted in 1888 and was named after the Biblical town.Tekoa was incorporated in 1889 with...
, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was half Coeur d'Alene Indian and a devout Catholic. Her father, Charles, played fiddle and called square dances. Her mother played piano every evening after supper and taught Mildred to play and sing. Her brothers were the vocalist and composer Al Rinker
Al Rinker
Al Rinker began performing as a partner with Bing Crosby in 1925 and the two singers formed the Rhythm Boys, which singer/songwriter/pianist Harry Barris later joined. Barris wrote the songs Mississippi Mud, I Surrender, Dear, and Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams among others...
, and the lyricist Charles Rinker
Charles Rinker
Charles Rinker was an American lyricist who worked frequently with Gene de Paul and Bob Rothberg, among others. His older brother, Al Rinker, formed the Rhythm Boys with Bing Crosby in 1925...
.
Career
At the age of seventeen, Bailey moved to SeattleSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and worked as a sheet music demonstrator at Woolworth's
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
. She married and divorced Ted Bailey, keeping his last name because she thought it sounded more American than Rinker. With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz singer on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. According to Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic, author, and director, best known for his longtime work with The Village Voice. Born in Brooklyn, and raised on Long Island, Giddins graduated from Grinnell College, Iowa, in 1970...
' book Bing Crosby – A Pocketful of Dreams – The Early Years 1903-1940, in 1925 she secured work for her brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
, Al Rinker
Al Rinker
Al Rinker began performing as a partner with Bing Crosby in 1925 and the two singers formed the Rhythm Boys, which singer/songwriter/pianist Harry Barris later joined. Barris wrote the songs Mississippi Mud, I Surrender, Dear, and Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams among others...
, and his partner Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. Giddins further states that Crosby first heard of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and other Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
jazz records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
from Bailey's own record collection. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1933 (Whiteman had a popular radio program and when Bailey debuted with her version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Moaning Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate, although she did not start recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with Whiteman until late 1931).
Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for an Eddie Lang
Eddie Lang
Eddie Lang was an American jazz guitarist, regarded as the Father of Jazz Guitar. He played a Gibson L-4 and L-5 guitar, providing great influence for many guitarists, including Django Reinhardt.-Biography:...
Orchestra session in 1929 ("What Kind O' Man Is You?", an obscure Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Howard Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
song that was only issued in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) and a 1930 recording of "I Like To Do Things For You" for Frankie Trumbauer
Frankie Trumbauer
Orie Frank Trumbauer was one of the leading jazz saxophonists of the 1920s and 1930s. He played the C-melody saxophone which, in size, is between an alto and tenor saxophone...
. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932 (recording in a smooth crooning style), when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
in 1933 (accompanied by The Dorsey Brothers
The Dorsey Brothers
The Dorsey Brothers were a studio group fronted by musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording under their name in 1928 with a series of studio recordings for the OKeh label...
), as well an all-star session with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's studio band in 1934 that featured Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
.
In the mid 1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo
Red Norvo
Red Norvo was one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba and later the vibraphone as viable jazz instruments...
. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". During this period (1936–1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's band. Despite her divorce from Norvo, she and Red would continue to record together until 1945. Suffering from diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
and depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
(during her adult life Bailey was overweight), she only made a few recordings following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Mildred Bailey died December 12, 1951, in Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie (town), New York
Poughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."...
, of heart failure, aged 44, chiefly due to her diabetes. Her ashes were scattered. Red Norvo outlived Bailey by nearly half a century, dying in April 1999, a week after his 91st birthday.
Notable recordings
The following are some of Bailey's most well-known swing recordings- "I'd Love To Take Orders From You" (1935)
- "Someday, Sweetheart" (1935)
- "When Day Is Done" (1935)
- "Honeysuckle RoseHoneysuckle Rose (song)"Honeysuckle Rose" is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, whose lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller's 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999....
" (1935) - "Squeeze MeSqueeze Me"Squeeze Me" is a 1925 jazz standard composed by Fats Waller. It was based on an old blues song called "The Boy in the Boat". The lyrics were credited to publisher Clarence Williams, although Andy Razaf has claimed to have actually written the lyrics....
" (1935) - "'Long About Midnight" (1936)
- "Where Are YouWhere Are YouThe term Where are You may refer to:*Where Are You? , an album by Frank Sinatra*Where Are You? , an album by Mal Waldron...
" (1937) - "Rockin' Chair" (1937)
- "It's The Natural Thing To Do" (1937)
- "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)" (1937)
- "Thanks for the MemoryThanks for the Memory"Thanks for the Memory" is a popular song, with music composed by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Shep Fields and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross...
" (1938) - "Please Be Kind" (1938)
- "Says My Heart" (1938)
- "Born To Swing" (1938)
- "Darn That DreamDarn That Dream"Darn That Dream" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Eddie DeLange, published in 1939.The song was introduced in the Broadway musical Swingin' The Dream.-Recorded versions:...
" (1939) - "Love's A Necessary Thing" (1939)
- "I'm Glad There is You" (1939)
- "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" (1939)
- "The Lamp Is LowThe Lamp Is Low"The Lamp Is Low" is a popular song of the 1930s. The music was written by Peter de Rose and Bert Shefter, adapted from Pavane pour une infante défunte, a piece by Maurice Ravel. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish....
" (1939)
In 1939, Bailey fronted a six-side, mostly blues session as "Mildred Bailey and her Oxford Greys" for Vocalion, which featured a small mixed-race combo of Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams
Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Williams wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records...
(piano), Floyd Smith (electric guitar), John Williams (bass) and Eddie Dougherty (drums).
Number one hits
In 1938, Bailey had two number one hits with Red Norvo. "Please Be Kind" was number one for two weeks. She also sang lead vocals on "Says My Heart" by Red Norvo and his Orchestra, which was number one for four weeks on the pop charts. "Says My Heart" reached number one during the week of June 18, 1938. Bailey sang lead vocals on "Darn That Dream", recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, which reached number one for one week in March, 1940 on the U.S. pop singles chart.External links
- "Twelve Essential Mildred Bailey Recordings" by Sue Russell, (Jazz.com)
- [ Allmusic]
- Solid