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.
Nobody
Connee Boswell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I begin to think it's true
It's awful hard to love someone
When they don't care about you
Once I had a lovin' gal
The sweetest little thing in town
But now she's gone and left me
Now I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me!
That's why I'm sad and lonely,
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me?
I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!
I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!
The song "I Ain't For Nobody" by Connee Boswell is a traditional blues song that describes the feeling of being rejected in love. The song takes the form of a lamentation, with the singer expressing her sadness and loneliness after being rejected by her lover. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer reflecting on the difficulties of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The song then goes on to tell the story of how the singer's lover has left her, and how she is now alone and longing for someone to love.
The singer's voice conveys a sense of heartbreak and despair, and the lyrics are simple and direct, evoking a powerful emotional response. Despite its simple structure and melody, the song is a masterclass in emotional expression, with the singer's voice conveying a wealth of feeling and meaning. The repetition of the refrain "I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me!" reinforces the sense of isolation and despair that the singer is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
There's been a sayin' goin' round
People have been saying
And I begin to think it's true
I have started to believe that it's true
It's awful hard to love someone
It's extremely difficult to love someone
When they don't care about you
Especially when they don't care about you
Once I had a lovin' gal
There was a time when I had a loving girlfriend
The sweetest little thing in town
She was the sweetest girl
But now she's gone and left me
But now she has gone away and left me
She done turn me down
She rejected me
Now I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me!
Now I am alone and nobody cares about me
That's why I'm sad and lonely,
This is why I feel sad and lonely
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me?
Can't somebody take a chance with me?
I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
I will sing love songs to you all the time, my dear
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
If only you say that you will be my sweet girlfriend
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!
Oh, I am alone and nobody cares for me
I'll sing you love songs, honey, all the time,
I will sing love songs to you all the time, my dear
If you'll only say you'll be sweet gal of mine,
If only you say that you will be my sweet girlfriend
Oh, I ain't got nobody, nobody cares for me!
Oh, I am alone and nobody cares for me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Roger Graham, Spencer Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobtaylor170
Maybe the first great female jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald cited her as her own greatest influence. In any fair evaluation, the Boswell Sisters have to be co - credited as being among the dozen or so people who, over a twenty year period, invented jazz. If you want to hear stunning jazz singing, and just great harmony singing, period, listen to the Boswell Sisters. There's an interview on You Tube which is of Connee in 1963. She was a woman of great class and intelligence.
@TomElvisSmith
What a rare video; thank you for posting it! This is a great old song from the 1920's!
@Weesperbuurt
She spelled her first name “Connee” when she went solo. Not many people realized she needed to use a wheelchair. When she started out singing with her two sisters they used to carry her on stage.
@davonnasteele2943
I LOVE THIS!!!! Post more please
@kellybobdonahue1966
The Boswell Sisters recorded a song in 1934 called "Rock and Roll".
@fromthesidelines
Ed's other guests that night were singer/composer/author Kay Thompson, and juggler Bobby Winters.
@user-sn5hz5ec6i
Great.
@dmiller1000
Thank for posting this - Ms. Boswell must have been on for more than a minute 12 seconds. Or maybe she came back for another number. Dig deeper and post some more.
@beakyfree7023
This answers my question! I was wondering if she had zero mobility in her legs or if she simply couldn't support standing/walking etc. we can see her toes tapping here!
@Billyboy939
Many polio victims have varying degrees of disability, my father had it and was initially paralyzed but later he was able to walk with a limp. Her legs might have been able to move but the damage to the muscles made them not strong enough to support her weight.