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 Nothing Joe
Kay Starr Lyrics
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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 song "Good for Nothing Joe" by Kay Starr paints a picture of a woman who's not having the best of days. She's closing shop and heading home to her man, Joe, who is described as good for nothing, but the love she has for him surpasses all of his flaws. The song speaks to the power of love in a woman's life as she states that she would be "good for nothing too," without Joe. Despite the fact that Joe doesn't show her any sympathy or kindness and is described as mean, she loves him unconditionally.
The lyrics are indicative of a woman who is trapped in a toxic cycle of loving someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The description of Joe as "good for nothing" highlights the fact that he is not contributing anything positive to their relationship, yet the singer loves him because he fulfills some emotional need that others around her cannot. The singer is willing to put up with the bad because of the good in Joe, and even acknowledges that she is willing to be less than her best for the sake of her love for him.
Line by Line Meaning
It's gonna rain any minute,
The weather is about to get bad.
There's not a star in sight;
The sky is cloudy and stars aren't visible.
Things are mighty slow,
Work is slow and unproductive.
I guess I'll close up shop and go home to Joe.
Since work is slow, she's going to go home to her husband Joe.
I know he won't be glad to see me
She knows that Joe won't be pleased to see her without making any money.
Without a penny to the good,
She hasn't earned any money from work.
But I'm not carin' much what happens,
She does not care about what Joe might do or say to her.
I did the best I could!
She tried her best but couldn't earn money from work.
He's just good for nothin' Joe,
Joe is worthless.
But oh, I love him so!
Despite Joe's worthlessness, she loves him.
Guess I'd die if good for nothin' Joe ever tried to leave me flat,
Joe leaving her would be devastating.
Oh yes, I'm certain of that!
Her love for Joe is undeniably strong.
Folks I know can't understand
People in her life cannot understand her love for Joe.
Why I must have that man;
She knows she must have Joe in her life.
Lord, he sends me like nobody can,
Joe knows how to make her feel good.
Ain't a woman just like that!
It is common for women to fall in love with the wrong men.
I wouldn't mind doin' what I'm doin',
She doesn't mind the work she's doing.
I'd beat these streets till my feet were sore,
She'd keep working long hours if it meant earning money.
But when it's slow and I go home to him,
When work is slow, she still goes home to Joe.
Instead of sympathy,
She doesn't receive any comfort from Joe.
He's just as mean as can be!
Joe is being cruel to her when she's feeling down.
Still, there's nothin' I can do now
She knows she can't change the situation.
Because I love him so,
Her love for Joe is why she puts up with his meanness.
I'd be good for nothin' too, I know
She isn't good for much without Joe in her life.
Without good for nothin' Joe.
Joe is crucial to her existence.
I'm goin' home to Joe!
She's going to go home to Joe despite everything.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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?