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.
Hard Hearted Hannah
Kay Starr Lyrics
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The weather there is nice and warm!
The climates of a Southern brand,
But here's what I don't understand:
They got a gal there, a pretty gal there,
Who's colder than an Arctic storm,
Got a heart just like a stone,
Even ice men leave her alone!
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
The vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Leather is tough, but Hannah's heart is tougher,
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer!
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
Is her delight, they say,
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
There was Hannah pouring water on a drownding man!
She's Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
The vamp of Savannah,
The meanest gal in town;
Talk of your cold, refrigeratin' mamas,
Brother, she's a polar bear's pajamas!
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
Is her delight, they say,
An evening spent with Hannah sittin' on your knees,
Is like travelin' through Alaska in your BVDs.
She's Hard Hearted Hannah, the vamp of Savannah, GA!
Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah
She's got the right name, The vamp of Savannah
Any time a woman can take a great big pan
And start pouring water on a drownin' man
She's hard hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah GA
Ohh she's sweet as sour milk
The lyrics of Kay Starr's song Hard Hearted Hannah tell the story of a woman named Hannah from Savannah, Georgia, who is known for her cold and unfeeling demeanor towards men. The song starts off by describing the warm climate of Savannah but juxtaposes it with the cold heart of Hannah. She is described as having a heart as hard as a stone and being so frozen that even ice men leave her alone. Her nickname is the "Vamp of Savannah" and she is known for being the meanest gal in town.
The lyrics then describe how Hannah gets pleasure from teasing, thrilling, torturing, and killing men. This is described as her delight and pleasure. The specific example of how she poured water on a drowning man emphasizes her cruelty. The song concludes by saying that spending an evening with Hannah is like traveling through Alaska in your BVDs (underwear), highlighting just how cold and uninviting her company would be.
Overall, the lyrics of Hard Hearted Hannah are a warning to men to stay away from such unfeeling and cruel women.
Line by Line Meaning
In old Savannah, I said Savannah,
I mentioned Savannah which has nice weather, warm and southern-like
The weather there is nice and warm!
The climates of a Southern brand,
But here's what I don't understand:
However, there's one thing I don't get
They got a gal there, a pretty gal there,
There's a woman there, good-looking indeed
Who's colder than an Arctic storm,
Yet, she's extremely cold-hearted and unemotional
Got a heart just like a stone,
She's got a heart that's as hard as a rock
Even ice men leave her alone!
Even the toughest guys avoid her
They call her Hard Hearted Hannah,
She's known as Hard Hearted Hannah
The vamp of Savannah,
The seductive woman of Savannah
The meanest gal in town;
The most callous lady around
Leather is tough, but Hannah's heart is tougher,
Leather's durable, but her heart is even more resilient
She's a gal who loves to see men suffer!
She enjoys seeing men in agony
To tease 'em, and thrill 'em, to torture and kill 'em,
To tease, excite, torture, or even murder them brings her pleasure
Is her delight, they say,
That's what they say about her preferences
I saw her at the seashore with a great big pan,
Once, she was seen at the beach with a huge pot
There was Hannah pouring water on a drownding man!
Pouring water over a drowning man in the pot was something she did.
Talk of your cold, refrigeratin' mamas,
Talking about the coldest, unaffectionate mothers
Brother, she's a polar bear's pajamas!
She's even colder than a polar bear's fur pajamas
An evening spent with Hannah sittin' on your knees,
Spending time with her while sitting on your lap
Is like travelin' through Alaska in your BVDs.
It's akin to experiencing a bitter winter in your underwear
Can you imagine a woman as cold as Hannah
Just imagine a woman as icy as Hannah
She's got the right name, The vamp of Savannah
She's appropriately named the Seductress of Savannah
Any time a woman can take a great big pan
Any moment a lady takes a big pot
And start pouring water on a drownin' man
And uses it to pour water on a dying gentleman
She's hard hearted Hannah
Definitely Hard Hearted Hannah
The Vamp of Savannah GA
That cruel woman in Savannah, Georgia
Ohh she's sweet as sour milk
Despite her cruelty, she may appear sweet outwardly
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB BIGELOW, CHARLES BATES, JACK YELLEN, MILTON AGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Marsh
Fabulous singer, great band!!!