Constance Foore "Connee" Boswe… Read Full Bio ↴From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Constance Foore "Connee" Boswell (December 3, 1907 - October 11, 1976) was an American female vocalist born in Kansas City, Missouri but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. With her sisters, Martha and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell, she performed in the 1930s as The Boswell Sisters and became a highly influential singing group during this period via recordings and radio. Connee herself is widely considered one of the greatest jazz female vocalists and was a major influence on Ella Fitzgerald who said, "My mother brought home one of her records, and I fell in love with it....I tried so hard to sound just like her."[1]
In 1936, Connee's sisters retired and Connee continued on as a solo artist (having also recorded solos during her years with the group).
The Boswells came to be well known locally while still in their early teens, making appearances in New Orleans theaters and radio. They made their first recordings for Victor Records in 1925, which included "Cryin' Blues" where Connee is featured singing in the style of her early influence, the African American singer Mamie Smith. The Boswell Sisters became stage professionals that year when they were tapped to fill in for an act at New Orleans' Orpheum Theatre. They received an invitation to come to Chicago and perform in 1928 and honed their act on the Western Vaudeville Circuit. When their tour ended they traveled to San Francisco. The hotel that had been recommended had a less than savory reputation, and the man at the desk suggested that these three young ladies might be better off in another hotel. That man, Harry Leedy, would later become their manager on a handshake and become a permanent part of Connee's life.
The Boswell Sisters travelled to Los Angeles where they performed on local radio and "side-miked" for the soundies, including the 1930 production "Under Montana Skies." did not attain national attention, however, until they moved to New York City in 1930 and started making national radio broadcasts. After a few recordings with Okeh Records, they made numerous recordings for Brunswick Records from 1931-1935. In 1935, the sisters had a #1 hit with "The Object of My Affection", the biggest of twenty top 20 records they would enjoy.
In 1936, the group signed to Decca Records and after just three releases called it quits (the last recording was February 12, 1936). Connee Boswell continued to have a successful solo career as a singer for Decca.
All through her career with The Boswell Sisters, and well into the 1940s, her name was spelt "Connie". She later changed the spelling to Connee, reputedly because it made it easier to sign autographs.
Connee Boswell was also an arranger (the legendary Boswell Sisters harmony arrangements are hers) and a composer.
Connee sang from a wheelchair - or seated position - during her entire career, due to either a childhood bout with polio or a childhood accident (sources differ). The general public was not aware of her condition although Boswell herself did not keep this secret. During World War II, she tried to get involved with the U.S.O. tours but was not given permission to travel overseas. The "powers that be" apparently thought it might not be a morale-booster to have a "cripple" perform for the troops.
Connee Boswell was a favorite duet partner of Bing Crosby and they frequently sang together on radio as well as recording several hit records as a duo in the 1930s and 1940's. Boswell, Crosby, and Eddie Cantor recorded a version of Alexander's Ragtime Band that was a #1 hit in 1938.In 1939, Crosby and Boswell had three hit duet records that each climbed into the top 12 on Billboard; "An Apple For The Teacher" climbed all the way to #2.
Connee Boswell also had several dozen solo hits, including "Moonlight Moon" in 1942. Boswell's career slackened in the 1950s but she still recorded occasionally and would be featured on a number of television broadcasts including a regular stint on the 1959 series "Pete Kelly's Blues".
Connee Boswell died at age 68 in 1976. A number of her recordings are now available on CD, both as a soloist and part of the Boswell Sisters.
I've Got A Feeling You're Foolin'
Connee Boswell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you're a mixture of devil and saint
I just sigh and dream and try to figure you out!
Love is in season, the moon's up above
Tho' it be treason to question your love
Ev'rytime I look at you My heart's in doubt
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I'll get a goby when you are done foolin' with me
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I've got a notion it's make believe
I think you're laughin' right up your sleeve
Foolin' with me
Life is worth living while you are giving moments of paradise
You're such a stand out
But how you handout that hokus, pokus from your eyes
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I've got a feelin' it's all a frame
It's just the well known old army game foolin' with you
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I've got a feelin' you're havin' fun
I'll get a goby when you are done foolin' with me
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I've got a notion it's make believe
I think you're laughin' right up your sleeve
Foolin' with me
Life is worth living while you are giving moments of paradise
You're such a stand out
But how you handout that hokus, pokus from your eyes
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I've got a feelin' it's all a frame
"I've Got a Feeling You're Foolin'" is a song by Connee Boswell, released in 1935. The song tells the story of a woman who is trying to decipher the intentions of her lover. The lyrics convey suspicion and tentative hope, as the singer oscillates between mistrust and attraction. The lines, "Love is in season, the moon's up above/Tho' it be treason to question your love," express her internal conflict, as she struggles to balance her feelings with her doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
You are a picture no artist could paint
You are an extraordinary person, impossible to capture in a painting
But you're a mixture of devil and saint
However, you have both dark and light qualities
I just sigh and dream and try to figure you out!
I am constantly trying to understand you, but find myself lost in fanciful thoughts
Love is in season, the moon's up above
Even though it is a time of romance and beauty
Tho' it be treason to question your love
It feels like betrayal to doubt your affection
Ev'rytime I look at you My heart's in doubt
Despite everything, I still cannot help but doubt your sincerity
I've got a feelin' you're foolin'
I suspect that you are tricking me
I've got a feelin' you're havin' fun
I believe that you are enjoying yourself at my expense
I'll get a goby when you are done foolin' with me
I will be left feeling foolish once you tire of playing games with me
I've got a notion it's make believe
I suspect that what we have is not real, just a fantasy
I think you're laughin' right up your sleeve
I believe you are secretly amused by my confusion and naivete
Life is worth living while you are giving moments of paradise
Even though I doubt your sincerity, I still find joy in the happiness you bring
You're such a stand out
You are truly one of a kind
But how you handout that hokus, pokus from your eyes
Yet, I cannot help but feel there is something that is not quite real or genuine in the way you present yourself
I've got a feelin' it's all a frame
I suspect that everything I am experiencing with you is just part of your act, not real
It's just the well known old army game foolin' with you
It's like the classic trickery and deception of a military strategy game, but this time you're the one being deceived
Lyrics Š BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR FREED, NACIO BROWN, NACIO HERB BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trombonology Erstwhile
Connee had lovely diction as well as one of Popular Song's most beautiful accents. It didn't hurt that her tone, too, was magnificent.
Mark Thompson
I first came across Connie's voice in the 1978 BBC original version of "Pennies from Heaven", where her version of "In the Middle of a Kiss" was used so poignantly. I just thought it was gorgeous, and so my discovery of both Connie and her sisters dates from then. I was just 17, but the beauty of her voice resonates just as much today, as it ever did.
Thank you for these pleasures, Bob.
The78Prof
You are most welcome, Mark....glad that you like it.
Swingman 56
Connee put her personal stamp of excellence on every song she sang.
TonyBuemi
Connie had great phrasing. I think she was a big influence on young Ella Fitzgerald. One of the great jazz singers
Ann Pommer
đđđ I watched Broadway MELODY OF 1936 & 2 OTHER MELODIES ON TCM RECENTLY. ALSO SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. CAN'T HELP IT; I LOVE THESE SONGS. đđđ
MeFirst please
Her phrasing and diction was ahead of her times.
C Porter
Haven't heard this one in a hot minute, though it's been pretty relevant to me for a while. Like hearing this in better quality now, not that the RCC upload doesn't have it's charm.
Ann Pommer
Also Love CAGNEY & BLONDELL IN FOOTLIGHT PARADE? "BY A WATERFALL WITH YOU" & RUBY KEELER & JIMMY DANCIN' & SINGIN' TO SHANGHAI LIL.
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