Mamie Smith
Mamie Smith (née Robinson) (May 26, 1883 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, who appeared in several films late in her career. As a vaudeville singer she performed a number of styles including jazz and blues. She entered blues history by being the first African American artist to make vocal blues recordings in 1920. Willie "The Lion" Smith (not her husband) explained the background to that recording in his (ghosted) autobiography, Music on My Mind. Read Full BioMamie Smith (née Robinson) (May 26, 1883 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, who appeared in several films late in her career. As a vaudeville singer she performed a number of styles including jazz and blues. She entered blues history by being the first African American artist to make vocal blues recordings in 1920. Willie "The Lion" Smith (not her husband) explained the background to that recording in his (ghosted) autobiography, Music on My Mind.
Mamie Robinson was born probably in Cincinnati, Ohio, although no records of her birth exist. When she was ten years old, she found work touring with a white act called the Four Dancing Mitchells. As a teenager, she danced in Salem Tutt Whitney's Smart Set. In 1913, she left the Tutt Brothers to sing in clubs in Harlem and married a waiter named William "Smitty" Smith.
On August 10, 1920, in New York City, Smith recorded a set of songs all written by the African American songwriter, Perry Bradford, including "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here For You (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine)", on Okeh Records. It was the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist and the record became a best seller, selling a million copies in less than a year. To the surprise of record companies, large numbers of the record were purchased by African Americans, and there was a sharp increase in the popularity of race records.
Because of the historical significance of "Crazy Blues", it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2005, it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Although other African Americans had been recorded earlier, such as George W. Johnson in the 1890s, they were African American artists performing music which had a substantial following with European-American audiences. The success of Smith's record prompted record companies to seek to record other female blues singers and started the era of what is now known as classic female blues. It also opened up the music industry to recordings by, and for, African Americans in other genres.
Smith continued to make a series of popular recordings for Okeh throughout the 1920s. She also made some records for Victor. She toured the United States and Europe with her band "Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds" as part of "Mamie Smith's Struttin' Along Review". She was billed as "The Queen of the Blues". This billing of Mamie Smith was soon one-upped by Bessie Smith, who called herself "The Empress of the Blues."
Mamie Smith appeared in an early sound film, Jail House Blues, in 1929. She retired from recording and performing in 1931. She returned to performing in 1939 to appear in the motion picture Paradise in Harlem produced by her husband Jack Goldberg. She appeared in further films, including Mystery in Swing, Sunday Sinners (1940), Stolen Paradise (1941), Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941), and Because I Love You (1943). She died in 1946, in New York.
Mamie Smith was cited by Connee Boswell of The Boswell Sisters as a major influence on Connee's singing style. The Boswell Sisters not only bought and imitated her recordings, but were taken regularly by their parents to the Lyric Theater, New Orleans' Black vaudeville house, to see her and other touring Black artists on the only day of the week that Whites were allowed to attend.
When you hear Connee, you can hear Mamie's influence. The remarkable thing is that later, Connee was cited by Ella Fitzgerald as Ella's only influence on her vocal style. This really illustrates the mixing of cultures that was such a part of the development of American popular music through the new media of the day, records and radio, as well as live performance.
Mamie Robinson was born probably in Cincinnati, Ohio, although no records of her birth exist. When she was ten years old, she found work touring with a white act called the Four Dancing Mitchells. As a teenager, she danced in Salem Tutt Whitney's Smart Set. In 1913, she left the Tutt Brothers to sing in clubs in Harlem and married a waiter named William "Smitty" Smith.
On August 10, 1920, in New York City, Smith recorded a set of songs all written by the African American songwriter, Perry Bradford, including "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here For You (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine)", on Okeh Records. It was the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist and the record became a best seller, selling a million copies in less than a year. To the surprise of record companies, large numbers of the record were purchased by African Americans, and there was a sharp increase in the popularity of race records.
Because of the historical significance of "Crazy Blues", it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2005, it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Although other African Americans had been recorded earlier, such as George W. Johnson in the 1890s, they were African American artists performing music which had a substantial following with European-American audiences. The success of Smith's record prompted record companies to seek to record other female blues singers and started the era of what is now known as classic female blues. It also opened up the music industry to recordings by, and for, African Americans in other genres.
Smith continued to make a series of popular recordings for Okeh throughout the 1920s. She also made some records for Victor. She toured the United States and Europe with her band "Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds" as part of "Mamie Smith's Struttin' Along Review". She was billed as "The Queen of the Blues". This billing of Mamie Smith was soon one-upped by Bessie Smith, who called herself "The Empress of the Blues."
Mamie Smith appeared in an early sound film, Jail House Blues, in 1929. She retired from recording and performing in 1931. She returned to performing in 1939 to appear in the motion picture Paradise in Harlem produced by her husband Jack Goldberg. She appeared in further films, including Mystery in Swing, Sunday Sinners (1940), Stolen Paradise (1941), Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941), and Because I Love You (1943). She died in 1946, in New York.
Mamie Smith was cited by Connee Boswell of The Boswell Sisters as a major influence on Connee's singing style. The Boswell Sisters not only bought and imitated her recordings, but were taken regularly by their parents to the Lyric Theater, New Orleans' Black vaudeville house, to see her and other touring Black artists on the only day of the week that Whites were allowed to attend.
When you hear Connee, you can hear Mamie's influence. The remarkable thing is that later, Connee was cited by Ella Fitzgerald as Ella's only influence on her vocal style. This really illustrates the mixing of cultures that was such a part of the development of American popular music through the new media of the day, records and radio, as well as live performance.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Crazy Blues
Mamie Smith Lyrics
I can't sleep at night
I can't eat a bite
'Cause the man I love
He don't treat me right
He makes me feel so blue
I don't know what to do
Sometime I sit and sigh
And then begin to cry
'Cause my best friend
Said his last goodbye
There's a change in the ocean
Change in the deep blue sea, my baby
I'll tell you folks, there ain't no change in me
My love for that man will always be
Now I can read his letters
I sure can't read his mind
I thought he's lovin' me
He's leavin' all the time
Now I see my poor love was blind
Now I got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't got no time to lose
I must find him today
Now the doctor's gonna do all that he can
But what you're gonna need is an undertaker man
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I got the crazy blues
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
P. Alves#1964
Lyrics:
I can't sleep at night
I can't eat a bite.
'Cause the man I love
He don't treat me right.
He makes me feel so blue
I don't know what to do.
Sometimes I sit and sigh
And then begin to cry
'Cause my best friend
said his last goodbye.
There's a change in the ocean
Change in the deep blue sea . . . but baby
I tell you folks there . . . ain't no change in me
My love for that man
Will always be.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't got no time to lose
I must find him today
Now the doctor's gonna do all that he can,
But what you gonna need is a undertaker man!
I ain't had nothin' but bad news,
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Now I can read his letter
I sure can't read his mind
I thought he's lovin'me,
He's leavin' all the time.
Now I see . . .
My poor love was Iyin'.
I went to the railroad
Hang my head on the track
Thought about my daddy
I gladly snatched it back
Now my babe's gone
And gave me the sack.
Now I've got the crazy blues
Since my baby went away
I ain't had no time to lose
I must find him today
I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop,
Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop!
I ain't had nothin' but bad news
Now I've got the crazy blues.
Those blues!
TheLandOfMarcos
100 years ago today, Mamie Smith recorded “Crazy Blues” and entered music history by becoming the first Black singer to make a blues song. May her legacy live on forever!
Andrew Herrera
SO COOL!
Brazilian Atlantis
@groenstraat45 "not only the first female" White women recorded blues before she did. The record companies habitually pandered to racists because they were a large proportion of their customers and Perry Bradford was very impressed with Fred Hager of Okeh when he decided, screw 'em, we're gonna record Miss Smith. Okeh advertised her heavily, color photos in the main mainstream music periodical.
Brazilian Atlantis
"the first Black singer to make a blues song" She wasn't, e.g. Bert Williams' "Lonesome Alimony Blues" was earlier. She was the first black woman to record a blues song.
Rahul Goswami
Thanks for the upload!!
Seems like YouTube algorithms are finally catching up
raindogred
Happy 100th Birthday Blues
Brigitte Little
Leroy Parker on violin was my maternal grandfather.
Hen yo
we're learning about this music in school now.
Karimah Azzahra
Hello, Brigitte Parker! 😄
ADAM LANGDON
Do you( your family) have awesome stories about that era??? Don’t let em die. 🤘