Mildred Bailey - The Rockin' Chair Lady (1931-1950)

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:11
Size: 144,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:19)  1. Willow Tree
(2:56)  2. Honeysuckle Rose
(3:02)  3. Squeeze Me
(3:22)  4. Down-Hearted Blues
(3:09)  5. Blues In My Heart
(3:08)  6. You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)
(3:02)  7. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
(3:08)  8. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
(2:42)  9. When That Man Is Dead And Gone
(3:17) 10. Jenny
(3:22) 11. Georgia On My Mind
(2:37) 12. Rockin' Chair
(3:11) 13. Sometimes I'm Happy
(3:14) 14. Ev'rything Depends On You
(3:02) 15. Lover, Come Back To Me
(3:28) 16. All Too Soon
(3:17) 17. It's So Peaceful In The Country
(2:36) 18. More Than You Know
(3:03) 19. Cry, Cry, Cry
(3:06) 20. Blue Prelude

One of at least six Mildred Bailey compilation albums with the phrase "Rockin' Chair Lady" in the title, this 20-track overview issued by GRP in 1994 spans virtually her entire recording career from her Paul Whiteman days (1931) to one of her very last sessions (1950). Possessed of a lovely and at times delicate voice, Mildred Bailey specialized in Tin Pan Alley pop tunes, mostly songs of love and heartbreak. Married for a while to xylophonist and bandleader Red Norvo, she achieved fame during the 1930s but gradually receded from the limelight after 1940. This collection of vintage recordings, which were originally released on Decca phonograph records, includes sublime interpretations of songs by Fats Waller, Benny Carter, Lovie Austin, Hoagy Carmichael, and Duke Ellington. ~ arwulf arwulf http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rockin-chair-lady-1931-1950-mw0000121548

Personnel: Mildred Bailey (vocals); Dave Barbour, Gene Gifford, Al Hendrickson, Carmen Mastren (guitar); Mel Jenssen (violin); Jimmy Lytell (clarinet); Clarence Hutchenrider, Glen Gray, John Rotella, Kenny Sargent, Ted Nash, Wilbur Schwartz (reeds); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Bo Ashford, John Best , Bobby Lee Jones, Jack Jenney, Joe Hostetter, Billy Butterfield, Bunny Berigan (trumpet); Billy Rauch, Eddie Kusby, Murray McEachern, Pee Wee Hunt, Si Zentner (trombone); Joe Hall , Herman Chittison, Teddy Wilson, Billy Kyle (piano); O'Neill Spencer, Jimmie Hoskins, Tony Briglia, Irving Cottler (drums).

The Rockin' Chair Lady (1931-1950)

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Mildred Bailey - The Great American Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 58:29

Size: 133.9 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[3:10] 1. Rockin' Chair

[3:25] 2. Georgia On My Mind

[3:04] 3. Lazy Bones

[2:47] 4. Heat Wave

[2:58] 5. Honeysuckle Rose

[3:13] 6. More Than You Know

[2:53] 7. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

[3:01] 8. Trust In Me

[3:12] 9. Where Are You

[2:33] 10. Thanks For The Memory

[3:14] 11. Lover, Come Back To Me

[2:33] 12. Please Be Kind

[2:55] 13. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

[2:46] 14. My Melancholy Baby

[2:46] 15. The Lonesome Road

[2:42] 16. St. Louis Blues

[2:45] 17. Begin The Beguine

[2:36] 18. 'tain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It)

[2:47] 19. Prisoner Of Love

[3:01] 20. All Of Me

An early jazz singer with a sweet voice, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.

The added exposure with Whiteman soon gave Bailey her own radio program. She had already debuted on a recording date with guitarist Eddie Lang in 1929, but in 1932 she gained fame by recording what became her signature song, "Rockin' Chair" -- written especially for her by Hoagie Carmichael -- with a Whiteman small group. While recording for Vocalion during the 1930s, Bailey often utilized her husband, xylophonist/vibraphonist Red Norvo. She also appeared on his recordings of the late '30s, and the arrangements of Eddie Sauter proved a perfect accompaniment to her vocals.

Though she and Norvo later divorced, Bailey continued to perform and record during the 1940s. She appeared on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio program, and gained her own series again during the mid-'40s. Hampered by health problems during the late '40s, she spent time in the hospital suffering from diabetes and died of a heart attack in 1951. ~bio by John Bush

The Great American Songbook  

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