Mamie Robinson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. When she was ten years old, she found work touring with a white act called the Four Dancing Mitchells. As a teenager, she danced in Salem Tutt Whitney's Smart Set. In 1913, she left the Tutt Brothers to sing in clubs in Harlem and married a waiter named William "Smitty" Smith.
On August 10, 1920, in New York City, Smith recorded a set of songs all written by the African American songwriter, Perry Bradford, including "Crazy Blues" and "It's Right Here For You (If You Don't Get It, 'Tain't No Fault of Mine)", on Okeh Records. It was the first recording of vocal blues by an African American artist and the record became a best seller, selling a million copies in less than a year. To the surprise of record companies, large numbers of the record were purchased by African Americans, and there was a sharp increase in the popularity of race records.
Because of the historical significance of "Crazy Blues", it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2005, it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
Although other African Americans had been recorded earlier, such as George W. Johnson in the 1890s, they were African American artists performing music which had a substantial following with European-American audiences. The success of Smith's record prompted record companies to seek to record other female blues singers and started the era of what is now known as classic female blues. It also opened up the music industry to recordings by, and for, African Americans in other genres.
Smith continued to make a series of popular recordings for Okeh throughout the 1920s. She also made some records for Victor. She toured the United States and Europe with her band "Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds" as part of "Mamie Smith's Struttin' Along Review". She was billed as "The Queen of the Blues". This billing of Mamie Smith was soon one-upped by Bessie Smith, who called herself "The Empress of the Blues."
Mamie Smith appeared in an early sound film, Jail House Blues, in 1929. She retired from recording and performing in 1931. She returned to performing in 1939 to appear in the motion picture Paradise in Harlem produced by her husband Jack Goldberg. She appeared in further films, including Mystery in Swing, Sunday Sinners (1940), Stolen Paradise (1941), Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941), and Because I Love You (1943). She died in 1946, in New York.
Mamie Smith was cited by Connee Boswell of The Boswell Sisters as a major influence on Connee's singing style. The Boswell Sisters not only bought and imitated her recordings, but were taken regularly by their parents to the Lyric Theater, New Orleans' Black vaudeville house, to see her and other touring Black artists on the only day of the week that Whites were allowed to attend.
When you hear Connee, you can hear Mamie's influence. The remarkable thing is that later, Connee was cited by Ella Fitzgerald as Ella's only influence on her vocal style. This really illustrates the mixing of cultures that was such a part of the development of American popular music through the new media of the day, records and radio, as well as live performance.
Don't Care Blues
Mamie Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Bugs buzz around me, fleas always creep?)
Every night and day I hang my head and weep
Yes, and weep
I love my baby, I want him for myself
If he don't be mine, he won't have nobody else
He has left me, I do the best I can
I'm a do-right kid, (get a friend and replace that man?)
Now I got the don't care blues, can't be satisfied
Every night and day I hang my head and cry
I go to the grocery store to buy a rockin' chair
Blues overtakes me gonna rock away my cares
Now my love has been refused,
Now I got the don't care blues
I woke up this mornin' with the blues around my head
My baby left me, it nearly killed me dead
He went away, and never had a word to say
Now I'm worried, and lonesome deep down in my heart
Because I know the best of friends must part
He went away, it nearly breaks my heart
Now I got the don't care blues, can't be satisfied
Every night and day I hang my head and cry
I don't wanna (indecipherable)
The brown I had (indecipherable)not for me
Now my love has been refused,
Now I got the don't care blues
Mamie Smith's "Don't Care Blues" is a song that speaks of heartbreak and the desperation that comes with it. From the first line of the song, "I haven't eaten for a week, I even walk in my sleep," the listener quickly realizes that the singer is suffering deeply from her separation from her lover. She is not only physically but also emotionally affected by the situation. The bugs buzzing around her and the fleas always creeping suggest a neglected and weary state. The singer loves her baby and wants him for herself, and if he cannot be with her, then he cannot be with anyone else. She speaks of trying her best, being a "do-right kid," but life is tough and unfair. The pain and heartache the singer is feeling are palpable in every verse, and the chorus reinforces the message that the singer is unable to find peace or satisfaction.
The song is a lament, a cry for help, and an expression of deep, raw emotions. The singer's blues and sadness come through in every line. She is worried, lonesome, and heartbroken, and the fact that her lover left without a word to say has only made things worse. However, in the end, she adopts an "I don't care" attitude, the "don't care blues" of the title. She cannot be satisfied anymore, and her love has been refused; her heart and soul are torn apart. She's longing for a rockin' chair, a place to sit and ruminate over her circumstances, and let the blues overtake her. The singer's despair is a cry for help, but ultimately, she seems resigned to her fate.
Line by Line Meaning
I haven't eat for a week, I even walk in my sleep
I'm so heartbroken that I don't even feel like eating or sleeping properly. I'm up all night, walking around with no energy.
Every night and day I hang my head and weep, yes, and weep
I'm constantly full of sorrow and pain. I cry all the time because of the overwhelming sense of loss and loneliness.
I love my baby, I want him for myself, if he don't be mine, he won't have nobody else
I'm completely devoted to my lover and want to be with him forever. If he leaves me, then I know he won't find anyone else who can love him the way I do.
He has left me, I do the best I can, I'm a do-right kid
Despite my broken heart and sadness, I'm trying to move on the best I can. I'm a good person and will continue to do the right thing, even though he's no longer with me.
Now I got the don't care blues, can't be satisfied, every night and day I hang my head and cry
I'm so heartbroken and numb that I don't care about much anymore. I can't find happiness or contentment, so I'm constantly crying and feeling down.
I go to the grocery store to buy a rockin' chair, blues overtakes me gonna rock away my cares
I'm trying to distract myself from my sadness and loneliness by buying things like a rocking chair. I hope that rocking away my cares will help ease my pain and blues.
I woke up this mornin' with the blues around my head, my baby left me, it nearly killed me dead
I'm constantly filled with the blues and sadness from the moment I wake up. My lover leaving me has hurt me so deeply that it feels like it's killing me slowly.
He went away, and never had a word to say
My lover left me without even saying goodbye or explaining why. It feels like he never really cared about me in the first place.
Now I'm worried, and lonesome deep down in my heart, because I know the best of friends must part, he went away, it nearly breaks my heart
I'm filled with worry and loneliness because I know that even the best of friends and lovers must part ways sometimes. The fact that my lover left me without a word almost feels like it's breaking my heart.
I don't wanna (indecipherable), the brown I had (indecipherable) not for me, now my love has been refused
I don't want to be without love and companionship, but I also don't want to settle for someone who isn't right for me. Even though I had someone before, he wasn't right for me, and now that he's gone, I feel rejected and alone.
Now I got the don't care blues
Overall, I'm completely apathetic and numb from my sadness and heartbreak. I feel like I don't care about anything anymore because of the pain I'm feeling.
Contributed by Nora L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.