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.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A band of angels a coming after me coming for to carry me home
Swing low sweet chariot a coming for to carry me home
Swing low sweet chariot a coming for to carry me home
Well if you get there before I do coming for to carry me home
Tell all of my friends I'm a coming too coming for to carry me home
Swing low sweet chariot
Well I'm sometimes up and I'm sometimes down coming for to carry me home
But still my soul is heavenly bound coming for to carry me home
Swing low sweet chariot
Swing low sweet chariot
Mildred Bailey's song Swing Low Sweet Chariot is a gospel hymn that speaks of hope, faith, and anticipation for a brighter future. The opening line "Well I looked over Jordan and what did I see coming for to carry me home" is believed to refer to the biblical story of the prophet Elijah who was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. The singer sees a band of angels coming to carry her home, which means that she is ready to depart from earthly trials and reach the heavenly realm. The phrase "Swing low sweet chariot" echoes the theme of the chariot that will transport her to her eternal rest.
The second verse of the song introduces a sense of community, as the singer asks for her friends to be informed that she's coming, too. This speaks to the idea that even though we may be on individual journeys, we are all part of a larger community, united by our faith and hope. The third verse emphasizes the ups and downs of life, but ultimately, the singer is confident that her soul is "heavenly bound" and she will reach her final home. The repetition of the phrase "Swing low sweet chariot" emphasizes the anticipation and excitement associated with the arrival of the chariot.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I looked over Jordan and what did I see coming for to carry me home
As I gazed across the horizon—my eyes fixed on Jordan—I saw a band of angels marching towards me, ready to take me to my heavenly abode
A band of angels a coming after me coming for to carry me home
A congregation of celestial beings are heading my way to help me reach my ultimate destination
Swing low sweet chariot a coming for to carry me home
The angels bring a sweet chariot to transport me to a place of rest and security
Well if you get there before I do coming for to carry me home
In case you arrive at the heavenly gates before me, please tell all of my loved ones that I'm on my way and will soon join them
Tell all of my friends I'm a coming too coming for to carry me home
Please let my friends know that they will soon be reunited with me at our heavenly home
Swing low sweet chariot
The sweet chariot is a promise of a peaceful journey and safe arrival
Well I'm sometimes up and I'm sometimes down coming for to carry me home
Although I am sometimes happy and sometimes sad in life, I am certain that I will reach my heavenly dwelling
But still my soul is heavenly bound coming for to carry me home
My spirit is destined for heaven and it's only a matter of time before I'm carried there
Swing low sweet chariot
The sweet chariot is a reminder to trust in the divine plan and not to fear death
Swing low sweet chariot a coming for to carry me home
The repeated line emphasizes the joy and security of being carried by the angels to one's eternal rest
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, WOLFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind