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.
Wherever You Are
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where have you gone without me
I thought you cared about me
Where are you
Where's my heart
Where is the dream we started
I can't believe we're parted
Where are you
What had we to gain
When I gave you my love
Was it all in vain
All life through
Must I go on pretending
Where is my happy ending
Where are you
When we said good-bye love
What had we to gain
When I gave you my love
Was it all in vain
All life through
Must I go on pretending
Where is that happy ending
Where are you
Where are you
The song "Where Are You" by Mildred Bailey is a melancholic ballad that tells the story of a woman who is left wondering where her lover has gone. Throughout the song, she reflects on the memories they shared and the promises they made but now feels lost and alone without him. She cannot understand why their love had to end, and she is plagued by the uncertainty of her future without him. She questions where her heart and dreams have gone, and she cannot help but feel that their love was all in vain. She longs for closure and wonders if she must go on pretending for the rest of her life or if she will ever have a happy ending.
Bailey's emotive voice brings to life the pain and confusion that comes with lost love. The song's lyrics are relatable and the listeners can connect with the feelings of abandonment and heartbreak. The song's haunting melody adds to its emotional impact, making it a classic love ballad that still resonates with people today. Overall, "Where Are You" is a beautiful love song that captures the heart-wrenching experience of what it feels like to lose someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you
I'm asking where you are
Where have you gone without me
I wonder where you went without me
I thought you cared about me
I assumed you cared about me
Where's my heart
I'm missing my heart (metaphorically referring to my loved one)
Where is the dream we started
I'm asking where our dream disappeared
I can't believe we're parted
I'm struggling to accept that we're separated
When we said good-bye love
Refers to the moment when we parted ways
What had we to gain
I'm wondering what we gained from separating
When I gave you my love
I'm recalling how I gave my love to you
Was it all in vain
I'm questioning whether our love was pointless
All life through
My whole life
Must I go on pretending
Do I have to keep pretending
Where is my happy ending
I'm still searching for my happy ending
Where are you
Again, I'm asking where you are
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ronan Hardiman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
UFObattleship 001
Beautiful...reminds me of the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach
stevers62
Thanks for stopping by. The Queen Mary is my favourite place on earth, and I always play Mildred music while there. Can’t wait for it to reopen! Here’s one of my Queen Mary videos with Mildred and Lee. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/xi15-W1VRP8
UFObattleship 001
@stevers62 yes I live close to the ship...I was wondering how they were able to get a submarine next to the vessel...good day to you and thanks for the link