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.
Rockin' Chair
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fetch me that gin, son, 'fore I tan your hide
Can't get from this cabin, goin' nowhere
Just set me here grabbin' at the flies round this rockin' chair
My dear old aunt Harriet, in Heaven she be
Send me sweet chariot, for the end of the trouble I see
Old rockin' chair gets it, Judgement Day is here
Old rockin' chair's got me, son, (Rocking chair got you, father)
My cane by my side, (Yes, your cane by your side)
Now fetch me a little gin, son (Ain't got no gin, father)
What? 'fore I tan your hide, now, (You're gonna tan my hide)
You know, I can't get from this old cabin (What cabin? joking)
I ain't goin' nowhere (Why ain't you goin' nowhere?)
Just sittin' me here grabbin' (Grabbin')
At the flies round this old rockin' chair (Rockin' chair)
Now you remember dear old aunt Harriet, (Aunt Harriet)
How long in Heaven she be? (She's up in Heaven)
Send me down, send me down sweet (Sweet chariot) chariot
End of this trouble I see (I see, Daddy)
Old rockin' chair gets it, son (Rocking chair get it, father)
Judgement Day is here, too (Your Judgement Day is here)
Chained to my rockin', old rockin' chair
The lyrics to Kay Starr's song "Rockin' Chair" tell a bittersweet story of an elderly man who is chained to his rocking chair by old age and illness. The first verse sets the scene with the man asking for some gin, threatening to "tan [his son's] hide" if he doesn't get it. The man then laments his inability to leave his cabin, feeling trapped and helpless. The second verse adds a layer of sadness as he speaks of his dear old aunt Harriet who has passed away and he longs to be taken away from his troubles by a "sweet chariot". The final line of the song, "Chained to my rockin', old rockin' chair" implies that the man's inability to move means that he is stuck in this state until the end of his life.
The song has a strong feeling of nostalgia, with the "old rockin' chair" representing a simpler time and the man's inability to leave it symbolizing the inevitability of aging and death. The lyrics also touch on themes of family (with the mention of the man's son and his aunt), mortality, and the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Old rockin' chair's got me, son,
The father is stuck in his rocking chair,
My cane by my side,
He has his cane with him,
Now fetch me a little gin, son
He asks his son to bring him some gin,
What? 'fore I tan your hide, now,
He threatens to punish his son if he doesn't bring him the gin,
You know, I can't get from this old cabin
He cannot leave his house,
I ain't goin' nowhere
He doesn't have anywhere to go,
Just sittin' me here grabbin'
He is just swatting at flies around the chair,
At the flies round this old rockin' chair
Flies are bothering him and he's trying to get rid of them,
Now you remember dear old aunt Harriet,
He brings up his Aunt Harriet,
How long in Heaven she be?
He asks how long she's been in Heaven,
Send me down, send me down sweet chariot
He asks for a sweet chariot to take him away from his troubles,
End of this trouble I see
He wants his troubles to end,
Old rockin' chair gets it, son
His rocking chair will meet its fate,
Judgement Day is here, too
The end is near and he will be judged,
Chained to my rockin', old rockin' chair
He is tied to his chair, unable to escape his fate.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robbie Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeanmarierock4603
Kay Starr has an amazing voice. My dad loved her, his favorite singer. He has an autograph picture of her and met her in person and always spoke about how sweet and down to earth she was.💕
@musicrocksoffical
Wow. Surprised that this 1959 clip has color. What a great song. ❤❤❤Kay❤❤❤
@Akkordeondirigent
Wow! Didn´t know her. What a singer!
I came across because I prepare a lesson for my students about history of popular music. Now I have to include jazz and Kay Starr.
@michaelwhittaker7960
No wonder Patsy Cline admired her singing so much. Thanks again Cost
@CostAnder
You are welcome!
@jamespercival5371
Fantastick watched this with uncle Freddie i was forteen years old
@davidallen3047
I remember when I was a kid in the late 50s mon & dad would wear this album out. They used to play it on the record player and dance the night away. The album had a lot of good songs on it.
@Samfurlonger
Really can’t think of a better female singer - the way she sings rockin chair is unbelievable
@Johnnycdrums
Thanks for uploading, Cost Ander.
What fantastic timing and assertive voice had, Kay.
@CostAnder
Johnnyc drums, you are welcome! 😇