Some of her best known hits are "It's So Peaceful in the Country", "Trust In Me", "Where Are You", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "Small Fry", "Please Be Kind", "Darn That Dream", "Rockin' Chair", "Blame It On My Last Affair", and "Says My Heart".
Born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and a devout Roman Catholic. Her father, Charles, played fiddle and called square dances. Her mother played piano every evening after supper and taught Mildred to play and sing. Her brothers were the vocalist and composer Al Rinker, and the lyricist Charles Rinker.
[edit]Career
At the age of seventeen, Bailey moved to Seattle and worked as a sheet music demonstrator at Woolworth's. She married and divorced Ted Bailey, keeping his last name because she thought it sounded more American than Rinker.[3] With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues and jazz singer on the West Coast. According to Gary Giddins' book Bing Crosby – A Pocketful of Dreams – The Early Years 1903-1940, in 1925 she secured work for her brother, Al Rinker, and his partner Bing Crosby. Giddins further states that Crosby first heard of Louis Armstrong and other Chicago black jazz records from Bailey's own record collection. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1933 (Whiteman had a popular radio program and when Bailey debuted with her version of "Moaning Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate, although she did not start recording with Whiteman until late 1931).
Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for an Eddie Lang Orchestra session in 1929 ("What Kind O' Man Is You?", an obscure Hoagy Carmichael song that was only issued in the UK) and a 1930 recording of "I Like To Do Things For You" for Frankie Trumbauer. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932 (recording in a smooth crooning style), when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick in 1933 (accompanied by The Dorsey Brothers), as well an all-star session with Benny Goodman's studio band in 1934 that featured Coleman Hawkins.
In the mid-1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". During this period (1936–1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie's band. Despite her divorce from Norvo, she and Red would continue to record together until 1945. Suffering from diabetes and depression (during her adult life Bailey was overweight), she only made a few recordings following World War II.
Mildred Bailey died December 12, 1951, in Poughkeepsie, New York, of heart failure, aged 44, chiefly due to her diabetes. Her ashes were scattered. Red Norvo outlived Bailey by nearly half a century, dying in April 1999, a week after his 91st birthday.
Rockin' Chair
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Old rocking chair got you, father)
Cane by my side
(Your cane by your side)
Fetch me that gin, son
(I ain't got no gin, father)
'Fore I tan your hide
Can't get from this cabin
(Cabin, joking follow)
Ain't go nowhere
(You ain't goin' nowhere?)
Just sittin' me here grabbin'
(Grabbin' )
At the flies 'round my rockin' chair
(Rockin' chair)
Old dear aunt Harriet
(Aunt Harriet)
How long to Heaven she be?
(Heaven she be)
Send me a sweet chariot
(Oh chariot)
For the end of the trouble I see
(My sweet Cherie)
Old rockin' chair gets it
(Rocking chair get it, father)
Judgment Day is almost here
(Judgment Day is here)
Chained to my old
(Sing it pop, sing it)
Rockin' chair
[Incomprehensible]
Old rocking chair got you, father
(Yes, indeed, yes indeed, yes indeed, you got it)
And your cane by your side
(Can't get around no more)
But I ain't got no gin, father
(Well, that's all the sadness)
Oh, you gonna tan my hide, tan my hide
(Yeah, yeah get it)
You can't get from this cabin
(Man, I don't wanna go nowhere)
Oh no, father, but you ain't goin' nowhere
(Aha, aha)
You sittin' here grabbin', you grabbin', you grabbin'
(Grabbin', grabbin')
The flies 'round the old rockin' chair, rockin' chair
My dear old, aunt Harriet
(Yes son, how long to heaven she be?)
May up in heaven she be
(Yeah, you don't like that)
Oh chariot, oh chariot, chariot, chariot, chariot
(Yeah I got your ride, I got your ride, got every chariot)
Once again in the time of trouble, I've seen
(Yeah, nobody knows the trouble I've seen)
Old rockin' chair get it, rockin' chair get it
(Old rockin' chair get it)
And Judgment Day, oh, Judgment Day
(Judgment)
You sittin' here chained to your rockin' chair
The lyrics of Mildred Bailey's song "Rockin' Chair" were written by Hoagy Carmichael, who also composed the music. The song is about an old man sitting in his rocking chair, reminiscing about his life, and waiting for the end. The man requests his son to fetch him some gin but is denied. He complains about not being able to get out of his cabin and being plagued by flies around his rocking chair. He then muses about his Aunt Harriet who has presumably gone to heaven and wishes for a sweet chariot to come and take him away from his troubles. The man seems to have accepted his fate and awaits judgement day, where he is chained to his rocking chair.
The song paints a picture of a man who has lived a long and arduous life, resigned to his fate and waiting for the end. The lyrics are poignant and evoke a sense of melancholy and sadness. The repetitive nature of the song's structure reinforces the sense of hopelessness and despair that the man feels.
Line by Line Meaning
Old rockin' chair's got me
The old rocking chair has a hold on me
Cane by my side
My trusty cane is by my side
Fetch me that gin, son
Son, please bring me some gin
'Fore I tan your hide
Or else I'll have to discipline you
Can't get from this cabin
We're stuck here in this cabin
Ain't go nowhere
We're not going anywhere
Just sittin' me here grabbin'
Just sitting here trying to catch
At the flies 'round my rockin' chair
The flies buzzing around my rocking chair
Old dear aunt Harriet
My dear old Aunt Harriet
How long to Heaven she be?
How long until she reaches Heaven?
Send me a sweet chariot
Send a chariot to take me away
For the end of the trouble I see
To finally escape my troubles
Old rockin' chair gets it
That old rocking chair gets me
Judgment Day is almost here
The end is near, Judgment Day is coming
Chained to my old
I'm stuck
Rockin' chair[Incomprehensible]
Rocking chair
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LOGANBOGGS-dk9xe
I will always be a Mildred Bailey and I will eternally enjoy this song too and rest in piece forever and always Mildred Bailey.
@ethnicmusiclover
one of the first Native American singers to record and one of the most popular singers of her day.
@lydiavliese8246
Never heard of her before. Absolutely amazing! Beautiful voice.
@joanmarie8209
Just love this Lady’s voice
@user-sy6lw7wx2z
A Wonderful Singer Mildred Bailey
@trumpsahead
Great singing, fantastic vibrato. She is really jazzy. My favorite rendition of this tune is by the great Roy Eldridge on trumpet. This lady is wonderful, wish she were still around.
Thanks again for the treat.
@AadJuijn
Thank you too! Great taste... Grtz, Aad
@janapourtoi
The Rocking Chair Lady'
Down Beat music magazine Sep 1, 1944
@ronaldbills907
I used to have an remastered recording of this in the1970s now I am living it old man!!!
@IbelongtoNYC
Thank you for this. I was recently introduced to Mildred Bailey by Radio LuLu on Live365, which has her "the Lamp is Low" on rotation. What a song! What a voice. I've been reading a lot about Mildred. Hard to believe there is no film of her performing. Imagine! The lady is def worth a book and a screenplay.