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.
Me Minus You
Connee Boswell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nature patterned you and when she was done
You were all the sweet things rolled up in one
You're like a plaintive melody
That never lets me free
For I'm content the angels must have sent you
And they meant you just for me
Nature patterned you and when she was done
You were all the sweet things rolled up in one
You're like a plaintive melody
That never lets me free
For I'm content the angels must have sent you
And they meant you just for me
The lyrics to Connee Boswell's "Me Minus You" are overflowing with romantic sentimentality. The first verse begins with the assertion that the two lovers were destined to be together. The idea of being "meant" for someone is a common motif in love songs, but here it is reinforced with the concept of nature itself having a hand in bringing the two individuals together. Boswell sings, "Nature patterned you and when she was done, You were all the sweet things rolled up in one." This line not only emphasizes the beauty and perfection of her lover but also implies that their relationship is a natural occurrence.
The second verse expands on the idea of being unable to free oneself from the other's grasp. The metaphor of the lover being like a "plaintive melody" suggests both the beauty of the person and the haunting, inescapable nature of their hold on the singer. The final lines of both verses reinforce the idea of fate or divine intervention, with Boswell declaring that the angels sent her lover just for her.
Overall, the lyrics of "Me Minus You" are highly romantic and somewhat idealized. The theme of being destined for one another and unable to resist each other's pull are common in love songs, but this song takes it a step further by invoking the idea of nature and angels having a hand in the love story.
Line by Line Meaning
You were meant for me, I was meant for you
Our connection is predestined, we were made for each other
Nature patterned you and when she was done
Your creation was deliberate and planned by nature
You were all the sweet things rolled up in one
You possess all the desirable qualities I could ever need in a partner
You're like a plaintive melody
Your presence is comforting, like a familiar tune that brings peace
That never lets me free
My attachment to you is strong and constant, I could never imagine letting you go
For I'm content the angels must have sent you
My happiness is complete, only a divine force could have brought us together
And they meant you just for me
Our union is not by chance, it was destined to be
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR FREED, NACIO BROWN, NACIO HERB BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind