Mamie Smith 1883

Cantante statunitense (Cincinnati, Ohio, 26.5.1883 – New York 30.10.1946). Nel 1893, all’età di dieci anni, balla con un gruppo di ballerini bianchi, i Four Mitchells. Nel 1912 partecipa alle tournée della rivista The Smart Set. L’anno seguente si reca ad Harlem col marito, il tenore William Smith - aka <<Sweet Singing Smitty>> - esibendosi in diversi club e cantando nella rivista di Perry Bradford Made In Harlem. Nel gennaio e febbraio del 1920 è la prima voce nera a incidere – con la OKeh, That Thing Called Love e You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down. È comunque la sua versione di Crazy Blues (10 agosto 1920), orchestrata da Bradford, a conferirle il successo con un milione di copie vendute in sei mesi. L’accompagnano in tournée (circuito TOBA) e durante le incisioni i Jazz Hounds, di cui fanno parte Garvin Bushell, Buster Bailey, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Smith, Curtis Mosby, Johnny Dunn, Amos White o Bubber Miley. Mamie incide inoltre con l’Harlem Trio, composto da Sidney Bechet, Clarence Williams e Buddy Christian (1923). Negli anni ’30 riprende le tournée, accompagnata dall’orchestra del pianista e arrangiatore Fats Pichon e anche da quella di Andy Kirk. Nel 1936, a New York, dirige i suoi Beale Street Boys, quindi partecipa a qualche film (Othello In Harlem di Joseph Seiden, 1939; Mistery In Swing, 1940; Sunday Sinners e Murder On Lenox Avenue, 1941, tutti di Arthur Dreifuss). Una delle sue ultime apparizioni sulla scena fu a fianco di Billie Holiday il 19 agosto 1944 al Lido Ballroom (New York). Affetta da una grave forma di artrite e sfruttata finanziariamente dal suo manager, muore, dopo una lunga degenza presso l’Harlem Hospital, in una camera ammobiliata sulla 8a Strada.
La sua piacevole voce da contralto e il suo modo, autoritario ma elegante, di modulare il blues spiegano il successo formidabile che l’<<America’s First Lady Of The Blues>> ottenne presso ogni tipo di pubblico.
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[J.P.A.]

​American singer (Cincinnati, Ohio, 26.5.1883 - New York 30.10.1946). In 1893, at the age of ten, she danced with a group of white dancers, the Four Mitchells. In 1912 she participated in the tours of The Smart Set show. The following year she went to Harlem with her husband, the tenor William Smith - aka << Sweet Singing Smitty >> - performing in several clubs and singing in the Perry Bradford magazine Made In Harlem. In January and February 1920, it was the first black voice to record - with OKeh, That Thing Called Love, and You Can't Keep A Good Man Down. It is however, her version of Crazy Blues (August 10, 1920), orchestrated by Bradford, to confer success on it with a million copies sold in six months. They accompany her on tour (TOBA circuit), and during the recordings, the Jazz Hounds, including Garvin Bushell, Buster Bailey, Coleman Hawkins, Joe Smith, Curtis Mosby, and Johnny Dunn, Amos White or Bubber Miley. Mamie also records with the Harlem Trio, composed of Sidney Bechet, Clarence Williams, and Buddy Christian (1923). In the 1930s, she resumed tours, accompanied by the orchestra of the pianist and arranger Fats Pichon and also by Andy Kirk. In 1936, in New York, she directed her Beale Street Boys, then participated in some films (Joseph Seiden's Othello In Harlem, 1939; Mistery In Swing, 1940; Sunday Sinners and Murder On Lenox Avenue, 1941, all by Arthur Dreifuss). One of her last appearances on the scene was alongside Billie Holiday on August 19, 1944, at the Lido Ballroom (New York). Affected by a severe form of arthritis and exploited financially by her manager, she dies, after an extended stay at Harlem Hospital, in a furnished room on 8th Street.
Her pleasant contralto voice and her authoritarian yet elegant way of modulating the blues explain the formidable success that << America's First Lady Of The Blues >> achieved for all audiences.
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[J.P.A.]