Mildred Bailey
An early jazz singer with a sweet voice, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.
The added exposure with Whiteman soon gave Bailey her own radio program. She had already debuted on a recording date with guitarist Eddie Lang in 1929, but in 1932 she gained fame by recording what became her signature song, "Rockin' Chair" -- written especially for her by Hoagie Carmichael -- with a Whiteman small group. While recording for Vocalion during the 1930s, Bailey often utilized her husband, xylophonist/vibraphonist Red Norvo. She also appeared on his recordings of the late '30s, and the arrangements of Eddie Sauter proved a perfect accompaniment to her vocals.
Though she and Norvo later divorced, Bailey continued to perform and record during the 1940s. She appeared on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio program, and gained her own series again during the mid-'40s. Hampered by health problems during the late '40s, she spent time in the hospital suffering from diabetes and died of a heart attack in 1951.
© John Bush /TiVo
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Saga Jazz: The Rockin' Chair Lady (Mildred Bailey)
Jazz - Erschienen bei SAGA am 01.12.1999
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The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 1 - 1929-1937
Jazz - Erschienen bei Columbia - Legacy am 14.04.2017
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The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 3 - 1938-1942
Jazz - Erschienen bei Legacy Recordings am 14.04.2017
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Musical Moments to Remember: I'm Nobody's Baby
Jazzgesang - Erschienen bei Jube Legends am 12.08.2022
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The Queen Of Swing: All The Hits And More 1929-47
Jazz - Erschienen bei Acrobat am 03.11.2023
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Complete Jazz Series 1945 - 1947
Jazz - Erschienen bei Complete Jazz Series am 15.10.2008
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Sings... Me And The Blues
Jazz - Erschienen bei Savoy am 01.01.1957
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The Queen of Swing (Remastered)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Master Tape Records am 10.10.2019
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The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 2 - 1938
Pop - Erschienen bei Legacy Recordings am 14.04.2017
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A forgotten lady (1935-1942)
Jazz - Erschienen bei EPM am 29.10.1996
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The Uncollected Mildred Bailey with Paul Barron's Orchestra 1944
Mildred Bailey, Paul Barron's Orchestra
Jazz - Erschienen bei Hindsight Records am 18.04.2013
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Legendary Radio Broadcasts
Ella Fitzgerald, Mildred Bailey
Jazzgesang - Erschienen bei Storyville am 26.05.2008
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The Very Best Of
Jazzgesang - Erschienen bei Stardust Records am 01.02.2009
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Camel Caravan Broadcasts 1940
Jazz - Erschienen bei Jazz Band am 30.11.2006
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Sunday Monday or Always, Vol. 3
Jazz - Erschienen bei Black Sheep Music am 02.12.2013
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Complete Jazz Series 1943 - 1945
Jazz - Erschienen bei Complete Jazz Series am 15.10.2008
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Rockin' Chair Lady
Jazz - Erschienen bei Universal Digital Enterprises am 24.12.1946
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Complete Jazz Series 1937 - 1938
Jazz - Erschienen bei Complete Jazz Series am 15.10.2008
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The Mildred Bailey Radio Shows
Jazz - Erschienen bei Nostalgia Arts am 15.04.2012
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