This is a look at some bluesy-jazzy wimmin singers and musicians who rock my world, musical foremothers whose voices echo as strongly today as they did decades ago. Crooners, shouters, songwriters and bandleaders, sirens and songbirds of years gone by... Let's get hep!
Lillian Glinn "Complete Recorded Works: 1927-1929" (Document, 1993)
Lillian Glinn/Mae Glover "1929-1931" (Story Of Blues, 1993)
Betty Grable "Sweetheart Of The Silver Screen" (Collector's Choice, 2004)
Say what you will about actress Betty Grable, but she was not a terribly good singer. Still... if she was married all those years to bandleader Harry James, she must have had something on the ball, musically speaking. At the very least, she's game for anything and throws herself into whatever material she's matched up with, and in a "who-cares-what-she-sounds-like?" kinda way, I suppose she's just fine. The more novelty-oriented, burlesque-y material suits her best, though when she tries to sing more serious romantic material, the results are pretty sketchy. Still, as a pop culture artifact, this is a nice item. Pity, though, that the minimal liner notes fail to mention when, or where, or with who any of these tracks were recorded. Still, it's good, campy fun.
Betty Grable "The Pin-Up Girl" (Jasmine, 1997)
A 2-CD set...
Betty Grable "More From The Pin-Up Girl" (Jasmine, 2006)
...and another 2-CD set...
Coot Grant & Kid Wilson "Complete Recorded Works - Volume One: 1925-1928" (Document, 1997)
Coot Grant & Kid Wilson "Complete Recorded Works - Volume Two: 1928-1931" (Document, 1996)
Coot Grant & Kid Wilson "Complete Recorded Works - Volume Three: 1931-1938" (Document, 1996)
Jane Green "Complete Recordings: 1920-1929" (Superbatone) (CD)
Green recorded about 30 songs in her career, all of them presented here... This disc gathers almost all of them, and is available from the Superbatone specialty label.
Jane Green/Margaret Young "Margaret Young And Jane Green" (MC Productions, 2011)
About a dozen bluesy songs each from these two 1920's performers -- Margaret Young is the more rugged of the two, with kind of a Bessie Smith-like delivery. Vaudeville star Jane Green is a little more genteel, but I prefer her voice -- great material, although with the rough, antique sound quality of rare old songs that have just barely been rescued from the ages. Recommended!
Lil Green "Chicago: 1940-1947" (Rosetta Records, 1985) (LP)
Part of Rosetta Records outstanding "Foremothers" blues series, this features the mousy-voiced Chicago blues-jazz pianist, Lil Green at her peak. I love Lil Green. Her charming, winsome personality and wry, raunchy sense of humor shine through on all these tracks, and she is a wonderfully expressive performer. This features the strikingly erotic "Romance In The Dark," along with a sprightly 1941 version of Jessica Rabbit's big hit. "Why Don't You Do Right?"... Packed with plenty of first-class material, this is must-have record for fans of the old blues gals. (For more info, check out the link to Lea Gilmore's blues site, below...)
Lil Green "Why Don't You Do Right" (EPM Musique, 1996)
This import CD includes several of the songs on the Rosetta LP (but lacks several of my favorites... Nevertheless, the "hits" are on here, and with nearly two dozen tracks, this is a disc well worth picking up... One of the best wartime blues gals you're ever likely to hear!
Lil Green "The Chronological Lil Green: 1940-1941" (Classics, 2003)
Lil Green "The Chronological Lil Green: 1942-1946" (Classics, 2004)
Lil Green "The Chronological Lil Green: 1947-1951" (Classics, 2005)
Ruby Green & Nick Katzman "Mississippi River Bottom Blues" (Kicking Mule)
Viviane Greene "The Chronological Viviane Greene: 1947-1955" (Classics, 2006)
Viviane Greene "The Very Best Of" (Master Classics, 2009)
Helen Gross "In Chronological Order: 1924-1925" (Document, 1996)
More Swingin' Gals -- Letter "H"
