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.
When It's Sleepy Time Down South
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why should ev'rybody pity me,
Nighttime's falling, folks are a singin',
they dance till break of day
Dear Old Southland with it's dreamy songs
Takes me back there where I belong
How I'd love to be in mammy's arms
When It's Sleepy Time Down South
Mildred Bailey's song "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" is a melancholic record about a homesick and tired individual who is feeling lonely in a big city. The song tries to evoke the nostalgia and longing she feels for the American South, where she grew up amid its dreamy songs. As night falls, people sing and dance until dawn, but the singer is left alone to ponder her loneliness in the city. The song captures the essence of melancholy that is common among those who move away from their place of birth and long for familiar surroundings.
The lyrics express the singer's desire to return to her roots and be in mammy's arms once more. The use of the word mammy is quite significant as it highlights the nature of the singer's attachment to the South, where she had a family and a sense of belonging. She yearns for the comforting and warm embrace of her mother, which reflects her deep-seated longing for her homeland. The song draws listeners into the experience of feeling disconnected and adrift in an unfamiliar place, highlighting the importance of place and a sense of belonging in shaping one's identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Homesick tired All alone in a big city
Feeling both homesick and tired while being alone in an urban environment
Why should ev'rybody pity me
Questioning why others should feel sorry for her situation
Nighttime's falling, folks are a singin',
As night falls, people nearby are singing
they dance till break of day
They continue dancing until the sun rises
Dear Old Southland with it's dreamy songs
Referring to the Southern region of the United States and its music
Takes me back there where I belong
Reminiscing on a sense of belonging felt in the South
How I'd love to be in mammy's arms
Expressing a desire to be held by a maternal figure
When It's Sleepy Time Down South
Reflecting on the peaceful and sleepy nature of the Southern region when night falls
Lyrics © OTIS RENE PUBLICATIONS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: CLARENCE MUSE, LEON RENE, OTIS RENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@seveeuh
yay! finally found this! my grandma was watching old shows on her tv, and this performance was playing, i instantly fell in love with her singing !! i’ve been looking for this version of the song, i couldn’t figure out who the singer was but could look up the lyrics ! thank you !!
@the78prof72
You're very welcome....glad that the mystery has been solved!
@msb6440
💤 😴 💤 😴 💤
@msb6440
✨️❤️ ✨️💙 ✨️❤️ ✨️