Kay Starr was successful in every field of music she tried, jazz, country and pop. But her roots were in jazz, Billie Holiday, considered by many the greatest jazz singer of all time, called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues."
She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".
Kay Starr was born on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father, Harry, was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems, the family moved to Dallas, Texas.
While her father worked for the Automatic Sprinkler Company, her mother raised chickens, and Kay used to sing to the chickens in the coop. As a result of the fact that her aunt, Nora, was impressed by her singing, she began to sing at the age of seven on a Dallas radio station, WRR, first in a talent competition where she finished third one week and won every week thereafter, then with her own weekly fifteen minute show. She sang pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By the age of ten, she was making $3 a night, a lot of money in the Depression days.
As a result of her father's changing jobs, her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and she continued performing on the radio, singing "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. It was while she was on the Memphis radio station WMPS that, as a result of misspellings in her fan mail, she and her parents decided to give her the name "Kay Starr". At the age of fifteen, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have; Venuti's road manager heard her on the radio, and suggested her to Venuti. Because she was still in junior high school, her parents insisted that Venuti take her home no later than midnight.
Although she had brief stints in 1939 with Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller (who hired her in July of that year when his regular singer, Marion Hutton, was sick), she spent most of her next few years with Venuti, until he dissolved his band in 1942. It was, however, with Miller that she cut her first record: "Baby Me"/"Love with a Capital You." It was not a great success, in part because the band played in a key more appropriate for Marion Hutton, which was less suited for Kay's vocal range.
Good For Nothin’ Joe
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's not a star in sight;
Things are mighty slow,
I guess I'll close up shop and go home to Joe.
I know he won't be glad to see me
Without a penny to the good,
But I'm not carin' much what happens,
He's just good for nothin' Joe,
But oh, I love him so!
Guess I'd die if good for nothin' Joe ever tried to leave me flat,
Oh yes, I'm certain of that!
Folks I know can't understand
Why I must have that man;
Lord, he sends me like nobody can,
Ain't a woman just like that!
I wouldn't mind doin' what I'm doin',
I'd beat these streets till my feet were sore,
But when it's slow and I go home to him,
Instead of sympathy,
He's just as mean as can be!
Still, there's nothin' I can do now
Because I love him so,
I'd be good for nothin' too, I know
Without good for nothin' Joe.
I'd be good for nothin' too, I know
Without good for nothin' Joe,
I'm goin' home to Joe!
The lyrics of Kay Starr's song Good For Nothin’ Joe speak of a woman who is working late at night and decides to close her shop and go home to her companion, Joe. She states that it is going to rain any minute and there is not a star in sight, but she still chooses to go home to Joe despite the circumstances. The singer describes Joe as a good-for-nothing man, but she loves him anyway. She claims that without him, she would be good for nothing too. She also mentions that even though people cannot understand why she loves him, he sends her like nobody can, and she cannot help but love him.
The song captures the emotions of a woman who is in love with a man who may not be the best for her. It shows how love can sometimes blind people to the faults of their partners. The chorus highlights the singer's love for Joe despite his shortcomings. It demonstrates how she is willing to put up with his bad attitude and behavior because of her love for him. The singer is portrayed as someone who is slightly defeated but unwilling to give up on love.
Line by Line Meaning
It's gonna rain any minute,
It's about to rain soon
There's not a star in sight;
It's nighttime and the sky is cloudy
Things are mighty slow,
Business is slow in the area
I guess I'll close up shop and go home to Joe.
I will leave work now and return home to Joe
I know he won't be glad to see me
Joe will not be happy to see me
Without a penny to the good,
I have no money
But I'm not carin' much what happens,
I don't really care about the situation
I did the best I could!
I did all I could possibly do
He's just good for nothin' Joe,
Joe is a man who is not valuable
But oh, I love him so!
But I still love him despite his flaws
Guess I'd die if good for nothin' Joe ever tried to leave me flat,
I would be devastated if Joe left me with nothing
Oh yes, I'm certain of that!
I am very confident about that fact
Folks I know can't understand
People I know don't understand
Why I must have that man;
Why I must be with Joe
Lord, he sends me like nobody can,
Joe makes me feel a certain way no one else can
Ain't a woman just like that!
This is something that can happen to any woman
I wouldn't mind doin' what I'm doin',
I don't mind my current work situation
I'd beat these streets till my feet were sore,
I would work hard in this area until I can't anymore
But when it's slow and I go home to him,
But when work is slow and I go home to Joe
Instead of sympathy,
Instead of receiving sympathy
He's just as mean as can be!
Joe is very mean
Still, there's nothin' I can do now
At this point, there is nothing I can do
Because I love him so,
I love Joe too much
I'd be good for nothin' too, I know
I am not very valuable either
Without good for nothin' Joe.
Without Joe, I would not be valuable either
I'm goin' home to Joe!
I will return home to Joe now
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUBE BLOOM, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luisvivanco6897
I have strived for years to find the music sheet (partition) of this song, to no avail. It's a great song. ¿Anybody knows where can the music be found?