Mildred Rinker Bailey (February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a popular… Read Full Bio ↴Mildred Rinker Bailey (February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing".
Some of her best known hits are "It's So Peaceful in the Country", "Trust In Me", "Where Are You", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "Small Fry", "Please Be Kind", "Darn That Dream", "Rockin' Chair", "Blame It On My Last Affair", and "Says My Heart".
Born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and a devout Roman 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.
[edit]Career
At the age of seventeen, Bailey moved to Seattle 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.[3] 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.
Some of her best known hits are "It's So Peaceful in the Country", "Trust In Me", "Where Are You", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "Small Fry", "Please Be Kind", "Darn That Dream", "Rockin' Chair", "Blame It On My Last Affair", and "Says My Heart".
Born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and a devout Roman 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.
[edit]Career
At the age of seventeen, Bailey moved to Seattle 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.[3] 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.
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Mildred Bailey, Mrs Swing
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Can't We Be Friends? I thought I'd found the man of my dreams. Now it…
Dinah Carolina Gave me Dinah; I'm the proudest one Beneath the…
Don't Be That Way April skies are in your eyes, but darling, don't be…
Don't Take Your Love from Me Tear a star from out the sky and the sky…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Fools Rush In Fools rush in Where angels fear to tread And so I come…
For Sentimental Reasons I love you for sentimental reasons I hope you do believe…
Georgia on My Mind Melodies bring memories That linger in my heart Make me thin…
Heaven Help This Heart of Mine Heaven help this heart of mine I've found a love that's…
I Can't Face The Music Breeze, stop moaning those wit melodies My man has left me…
I cried for you I remember other days how I used to weep Over…
I DON'T STAND A GHOST OF A CHANCE I need your love so badly, I love you, oh,…
I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart I let a song go out of my heart It was…
I Used to Be Colour Blind A-tisket a-tasket A green-and-yellow basket I bought a bas…
I'm Nobody's Baby I'm nobody's baby I wonder why Each night and day I pray…
If You Should Ever Leave Me If you ever should leave Why would I want to live Darling…
In Love in Vain It's only human for anyone to want to be in…
It Seems Like Old Times Seems like old times, having you to walk with Seems like…
It's so Peaceful in the Country It′s so peaceful in the country It's so simple and quiet You…
Lover Come Back to Me You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
More Than You Know Whether you are here or yonder, Whether you are false…
My Last Affair Can't you see What love and romance have done to me I'm…
My Reverie Our love is a dream, but in my reverie I can…
Never in a Million Years Dumb-dah-dah-dah-dah, dah-dumb-dah-dah-dah Dumb-dah-dah-dah…
Now It Can Be Told All the world's great lovers have been glorified History pla…
Penthouse Serenade Just picture a penthouse way up in the sky With hinges…
Prisoner of Love Someone that I belong to Doesn't belong to me Someone who ca…
Rock It for Me Do you remember summer '09 Wanna go back there every night J…
Rockin' Chair Old rockin' chair's got me (Old rocking chair got you, fathe…
So Help Me So help me, may I never see the moon on…
Someday Sweetheart You told me that you loved me true And I believed…
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child Sometimes I feel like a motherless child Sometimes I feel li…
Sometimes I'm Happy Every day seems like a year Sweetheart, when you are not…
St. Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Thanks for the Memory Thanks for the memory Of sentimental verse, Nothing in my pu…
The Lamp Is Low Dream beside me in the midnight glow, the lamp Is…
The Lonesome Road Look down, look down that lonesome road Before you travel on…
The moon got in my eyes Out of the darkness you suddenly appeared You smiled and I…
There'll Be Some Changes Made (Mildred Bailey) They say don't change the old for the new B…
There's a Lull in My Life Oh, there's a lull in my life It's just a…
THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT FROM ME Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note, Though by tomorro…
Trust in Me Trust in me in all you do Have the faith I…
When Day Is Done When day is done and shadows fall I dream of you When…
When That Man Is Dead and Gone Satan, Satan thought up a plan, Dressed as a man Walking the…
Where Are You? Where are you Where have you gone without me I thought you…
Wherever You Are Where are you Where have you gone without me I thought you…
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams When skies are cloudy and gray They're only gray for a…
You and Your Love Tear a star from out the sky and the sky…
You're Laughing At Me I love you which is easy to see But I have…