Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan (April 1, 1897 - August 10, 1948) was an American blues singe… Read Full Bio ↴Lucille Bogan (April 1, 1897 - August 10, 1948) was an American blues singer, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson. Bogan sang straight-talking blues about drinking ("Sloppy Drunk Blues"), prostitution ("Tricks Ain't Walking No More"), gambling, lesbianism and other facets of what her generation called 'the life'. The jazz critic and sexologist Ernest Borneman grouped her with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith in the "the big three of the blues".
She was born Lucille Anderson in Amory, Mississippi, United States, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1914, she married Nazareth Lee Bogan, a railwayman, and gave birth to a son, Nazareth Jr., in either 1915 or 1916. Lucille later divorced Nazareth and married James Spencer, who was 22 years younger than herself.
She first recorded vaudeville songs for Okeh Records in New York in 1923, with pianist Henry Callens. Later that year she recorded "Pawn Shop Blues" in Atlanta, Georgia, which was the first time a black blues singer had been recorded outside New York or Chicago. In 1927 she began recording for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin, where she recorded her first big success, "Sweet Petunia", which was covered by Blind Blake. She also recorded for Brunswick Records, backed by Tampa Red and Cow Cow Davenport.
By 1930 her recordings had begun to concentrate on drinking and sex, with songs such as "Sloppy Drunk Blues" (covered by Leroy Carr and others) and "Tricks Ain't Walkin' No More" (later recorded by Memphis Minnie). She also recorded the original version of "Black Angel Blues", which (as "Sweet Little Angel") was covered by B.B. King and many others. Trained in the rowdier juke joints of the 1920s, many of Bogan's songs, most of which she wrote herself, have thinly-veiled humorous sexual references. The theme of prostitution, in particular, featured prominently in several of her recordings.
In 1933 she returned to New York, and, apparently to conceal her identity, began recording as Bessie Jackson for the Banner (ARC) label. She was usually accompanied on piano by Walter Roland, with whom she recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935, including some of her biggest commercial successes including "Seaboard Blues", "Troubled Mind", and "Superstitious Blues".
Her other songs included "Stew Meat Blues", "Coffee Grindin' Blues", "My Georgia Grind", "Honeycomb Man", "Mr. Screw Worm In Trouble", and "Bo Hog Blues". Her final recordings with Roland and Josh White included two takes of "Shave 'Em Dry", recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult clubs. Another of her songs, "B.D. Woman's Blues", takes the position of a "bull dyke" ("B.D."), with the line "Comin' a time, B.D. women, they ain't gonna need no men" "They got a head like a sweet angel and they walk just like a natural man." "They can lay their jive just like a natural man."
She appears not to have recorded after 1935, and spent some time managing her son's jazz group, Bogan's Birmingham Busters, before moving to Los Angeles shortly before her death from coronary sclerosis in 1948.
She is interred at the Lincoln Memorial Park, Compton, Los Angeles County, California.
She was born Lucille Anderson in Amory, Mississippi, United States, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1914, she married Nazareth Lee Bogan, a railwayman, and gave birth to a son, Nazareth Jr., in either 1915 or 1916. Lucille later divorced Nazareth and married James Spencer, who was 22 years younger than herself.
She first recorded vaudeville songs for Okeh Records in New York in 1923, with pianist Henry Callens. Later that year she recorded "Pawn Shop Blues" in Atlanta, Georgia, which was the first time a black blues singer had been recorded outside New York or Chicago. In 1927 she began recording for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin, where she recorded her first big success, "Sweet Petunia", which was covered by Blind Blake. She also recorded for Brunswick Records, backed by Tampa Red and Cow Cow Davenport.
By 1930 her recordings had begun to concentrate on drinking and sex, with songs such as "Sloppy Drunk Blues" (covered by Leroy Carr and others) and "Tricks Ain't Walkin' No More" (later recorded by Memphis Minnie). She also recorded the original version of "Black Angel Blues", which (as "Sweet Little Angel") was covered by B.B. King and many others. Trained in the rowdier juke joints of the 1920s, many of Bogan's songs, most of which she wrote herself, have thinly-veiled humorous sexual references. The theme of prostitution, in particular, featured prominently in several of her recordings.
In 1933 she returned to New York, and, apparently to conceal her identity, began recording as Bessie Jackson for the Banner (ARC) label. She was usually accompanied on piano by Walter Roland, with whom she recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935, including some of her biggest commercial successes including "Seaboard Blues", "Troubled Mind", and "Superstitious Blues".
Her other songs included "Stew Meat Blues", "Coffee Grindin' Blues", "My Georgia Grind", "Honeycomb Man", "Mr. Screw Worm In Trouble", and "Bo Hog Blues". Her final recordings with Roland and Josh White included two takes of "Shave 'Em Dry", recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult clubs. Another of her songs, "B.D. Woman's Blues", takes the position of a "bull dyke" ("B.D."), with the line "Comin' a time, B.D. women, they ain't gonna need no men" "They got a head like a sweet angel and they walk just like a natural man." "They can lay their jive just like a natural man."
She appears not to have recorded after 1935, and spent some time managing her son's jazz group, Bogan's Birmingham Busters, before moving to Los Angeles shortly before her death from coronary sclerosis in 1948.
She is interred at the Lincoln Memorial Park, Compton, Los Angeles County, California.
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Lucille Bogan Lyrics
Alley boogie I'm doing something now, I ain't never done before Going to…
B. D. Woman's Blues Comin' a time, B.D. women ain't gonna need no men Comin'…
Baking powder blues Got up this morning, by the rising sun Didn't have no…
Barbecue bess When you come to my house, come down behind the…
BD Woman's Blues Comin' a time, B.D. women ain't gonna need no men Comin'…
Bd Womans Blues Comin' a time, B. D. Women ain't gonna need no…
Black Angel Blues I've got a sweet black angel, I likes the way…
Bo-Easy Blues Bo-Easy, Bo-Easy, where have you been so long Bo-Easy, Bo-E…
Boogan Ways Blues Talkinโฒ and preachin' to you, baby Look just like it done…
Coffee Gindin' Blues Ain't nobody, it ain't nobody Ain't nobody in town can grind…
Down In Boogie Alley Way down in Boogie Alley1 ain't nothin' but scaws and…
Drinking Blues Blues has got me drinkin', trouble's got me thinkin', and it…
Every woman's blues Comin' a time, B.D. women ain't gonna need no men Comin'…
Groceries on the Shelf My name is Piggly Wiggly And I swear you can help…
I hate that train called the m & o I hate that train, that they all call the M…
Jim tampa blues Hey, Jim Tampa, hey, Jim Tampa Hey, Jim Tampa, you treat…
Jump steady daddy East of the sun and west of the moon We'll build…
Kind Stella Blues I know of a good girl Known to be a good…
lonesome midnight blues Iโฒm lonesome, I'm lonesome And I got the lonesome midnight b…
Man Stealer Blues I went to bed last night and these blues wouldn't…
Never Let Your Left Hand Know You must bring me a job, or money from anywhere You…
New Way Blues Did you ever get on brown skin And come up black? Did…
Pig iron sally Some folks say black is evil But I will tell the…
Pot Hound Blues You must bring me a job or money from anywhere You…
Reckless woman A woman gets tired, of one man all the time,…
Share 'Em Dry I got nipples on my titties Big as the end of…
Shave Em Dry Take 1 I got nipples on my titties Big as the end of…
Skin game blues Good mornin' skin game, hollerin' skin game please last Goo…
Sloppy Drunk Blues I saw you last evening standin' up against a tree I…
Stew Meat Blues A man say I had something, look like new He want…
Struttin' My Stuff Every time the police see me coming He walks direct for…
Sweet Man Sweet Man Sweet man, sweet man Make your pinky, whistle hard Sweet man…
T & No Blues The train I ride, is 18 coaches long Train I ride,…
They ain't walking no more Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, I can't make my…
Till The Cows Come Home I told him I gotta good cock And it's got…
Tired as i can be I worked all the winter, and I worked all the…
Tricks Ain't Walking No More Times done got hard, money's done got scarce Stealin' an' r…
Troubled Mind I had a good man and now my man is…
Walkin' Blues I been walkin', I been walkin', I been walkin' all…
Walking Blues I been walking, I been walking, I been walking all…
Whiskey Selling Woman Ah, I'm gettin' sloppy drunk today! I feel superstitions,…
Rosey
on Groceries on the Shelf
I'm pretty sure she was really saying "You can go to your bar/You can go to your ten-cent store".
Sheila Walters
on Groceries on the Shelf
Where are the lyrics to this one?