Everything about Mildred Bailey totally explained
Mildred Bailey (
February 27 1907 –
December 12 1951) was a popular
American jazz singer during the
1930s.
Born as
Mildred Rinker in
Tekoa,
Washington, Bailey retained the last name of her first husband, Ted Bailey, when she moved to
Seattle to bolster her singing career. 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 didn't 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 (from 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. She died in Poughkeepsie of
heart failure, aged 44, chiefly due to her diabetes.
Jazz vocal collectors have always considered her one of the best vocalists of her era. Despite being a big woman, Bailey had a sweet, rather small yet very expressive
voice, and quite a light, unique swinging vocal style. Many of the records were among the best versions recorded ("When Day Is Done" (1935), "'Long About Midnight" (1936), "
Where Are You", "Rockin' Chair", "It's The Natural Thing To Do" and "Bob White" (1937), and "
Thanks for the Memory", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart" and "Born To Swing" (1938). In 1939, Bailey fronted a six side 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).
Billie Holiday
Bailey, Norvo and the up-and-coming
record producer John H. Hammond were together when they heard
Billie Holiday sing in a
Harlem speakeasy in 1933. Reportedly, Bailey, upon hearing the 18 year-old Holiday, recognised the young singer's talent. She acknowledged "that girl has got it".
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