She was born Victoria Regina Spivey in Houston, Texas, United States, the daughter of Grant and Addie (Smith) Spivey. Her father was a part-time musician and a flagman for the railroad; her mother was a nurse. Her sisters were Addie "Sweet Peas" Spivey (1910–1943), also a singer and musician, who recorded for several major record labels between 1929 and 1937, and Elton Island Spivey (1900–1971), who also followed a professional singing career as The Za Zu Girl.
Spivey's first professional experience was in a family string band led by her father in Houston. After Grant Spivey died, the seven-year-old Victoria played on her own at local parties and, in 1918, was hired to accompany films at the Lincoln Theater in Dallas. As a teenager, she worked in local bars, nightclubs, and buffet flats, mostly alone, but occasionally with singer-guitarists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson. In 1926, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she was signed by Okeh Records. Her first recording, "Black Snake Blues", did well, and her association with the record label continued. She made numerous Okeh sides in New York until 1929, then switched to the RCA Victor label. Between 1931 and 1937, more recordings followed on the Vocalion and Decca labels, and, working out of New York, she maintained an active performance schedule. Spivey's recorded accompanists included King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Lonnie Johnson, and Red Allen. She recorded many of her own songs, which dwelt on disease, crime and outré sexual images.
The Depression did not put an end to Spivey's musical career; she found a new outlet for her talent in the year of the crash, when film director King Vidor cast her to play "Missy Rose" in his first sound film, Hallelujah! (1929). Through the 1930s and 1940s, Spivey continued to work in musical films and stage shows, often with her husband, vaudeville dancer Billy Adams, including the Hellzapoppin' Revue.
In 1951, Spivey retired from show business to play the pipe organ and lead a church choir, but she returned to secular music in 1961, when she was reunited with an old singing partner, Lonnie Johnson, to appear on four tracks on his Prestige Bluesville album, Idle Hours. The folk music revival of the 1960s gave her further opportunities to make at least a semblance of a comeback. She recorded again for Prestige Bluesville, sharing an album Songs We Taught Your Mother with fellow veterans Alberta Hunter and Lucille Hegamin and began making personal appearances at festivals and clubs.
In 1962, Spivey and jazz historian Len Kunstadt launched Spivey Records, a low-budget label dedicated to blues and related music. They recorded prolifically such performers as Sippie Wallace, Lucille Hegamin, Otis Rush, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Joe Turner, Buddy Tate and Hannah Sylvester, as well as newer artists including Luther Johnson, Brenda Bell, Washboard Doc, Bill Dicey, Robert Ross, Sugar Blue, Paul Oscher, Danny Russo and Larry Johnson.
In March 1962, Bob Dylan contributed harmonica and back-up vocals, accompanying Victoria Spivey and Big Joe Williams on a recording for Spivey Records. The recordings were released on Three Kings And The Queen (Spivey LP 1004) and Kings And The Queen Volume Two (Spivey LP 1014). (Dylan was listed under his own name on the record covers.) In 1964 Spivey made her only recording with an all-white band: the Connecticut based Easy Riders Jazz Band, led by trombonist Big Bill Bissonnette. It was released first on an LP and later re-released on compact disc.
Spivey married four times; her husbands included Ruben Floyd and Billy Adams.
Victoria Spivey died in New York on October 3, 1976, at the age of 69, from an internal haemorrhage.
Murder in the First Degree
Victoria Spivey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I'm layin' here in this jailhouse, scared as any fool can be
I believe they're gonna hang me, from what my lawyer said to me
My man got runnin' around with a woman he know I can't stand
My man got runnin' around with a woman he know I can't stand
There's one notch on my gun, and the world's rid of one triflin' man
I scrubbed them pots and kettles, I washed and ironed them white folks' clothes
Any charge that I'm makin', I killed him, Judge, and that's all I know
Judge, if you had killed your woman, and had to come before me
If you'da killed a woman who trifled and had to come before me
I'd send her to the gallows, and, Judge, would let you go free
I said I ain't done nothin but killed a man what belonged to me
I said I ain't done nothin but killed a man what belonged to me
And here they got me charged with murder in the first degree
The song "Murder in the First Degree" by Victoria Spivey narrates the story of a woman who is in jail, anxious, and scared. She believes that she is going to be hanged for the crime she committed, which is killing her man. The woman's man was having an affair with another woman, whom she disapproved of, and this led to the murder of her man, which she strongly justifies by explaining that she has not done anything but killed a man that belonged to her. She also confesses to the judge that she incurred any charges by admitting to the crime alone.
The lyrics in this song are raw and show the woman's state of mind, who is not apologetic for her actions, and is willing to face any consequence. The song challenges the common societal belief that women should not be violent and make men face the consequences of their actions, with the lyrics "There's one notch on my gun, and the world's rid of one triflin' man" and "I'd send her to the gallows, and, Judge, would let you go free." The lyrics of the song give us insight into the woman's motivation for the crime, her resolute state of mind, and her confidence in defending her actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm layin' here in this jailhouse, scared as any fool can be
I am lying in a prison cell, afraid like a helpless person, unsure of what my fate will be.
I believe they're gonna hang me, from what my lawyer said to me
My lawyer has informed me that I may be put to death by hanging for the crime I am accused of committing.
My man got runnin' around with a woman he know I can't stand
My partner is having an affair with a woman who I strongly dislike and he is well aware of that fact.
There's one notch on my gun, and the world's rid of one triflin' man
I have added a mark on my gun, and it implies that I have killed someone who was worthless and undeserving.
I scrubbed them pots and kettles, I washed and ironed them white folks' clothes
I have spent my time doing menial labor for white people including washing, ironing their clothes and cleaning pots and kettles.
Any charge that I'm makin', I killed him, Judge, and that's all I know
I confess to killing the victim and that is the only relevant fact that I am aware of and a charge I am ready to face in court.
Judge, if you had killed your woman, and had to come before me
In a hypothetical scenario, if you, Judge, were responsible for killing your own partner, and I had to preside over your case.
If you'da killed a woman who trifled and had to come before me
If you had killed a woman who acted unfairly or without honor, and as a result appeared in front of me.
I'd send her to the gallows, and, Judge, would let you go free
I would sentence her to death, but I would not be able to punish you for committing the same crime as I would favor leniency.
I said I ain't done nothin but killed a man what belonged to me
All I did was eliminate someone who I considered mine, and nothing else.
And here they got me charged with murder in the first degree
Despite my defense, I am still facing a murder charge of the most severe degree.
Contributed by Elijah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
dimeghost
Nice