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 - Released by SAGA on 1 Dec 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 1 - 1929-1937
Jazz - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 14 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 3 - 1938-1942
Jazz - Released by Legacy Recordings on 14 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Musical Moments to Remember: I'm Nobody's Baby
Vocal Jazz - Released by Jube Legends on 12 Aug 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Queen Of Swing: All The Hits And More 1929-47
Jazz - Released by Acrobat on 3 Nov 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1945 - 1947
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 15 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sings... Me And The Blues
Jazz - Released by Savoy on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Queen of Swing (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Master Tape Records on 10 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Complete Columbia Recording Sessions, Vol. 2 - 1938
Pop - Released by Legacy Recordings on 14 Apr 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A forgotten lady (1935-1942)
Jazz - Released by EPM on 29 Oct 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Uncollected Mildred Bailey with Paul Barron's Orchestra 1944
Mildred Bailey, Paul Barron's Orchestra
Jazz - Released by Hindsight Records on 18 Apr 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Radio Broadcasts
Ella Fitzgerald, Mildred Bailey
Vocal Jazz - Released by Storyville on 26 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Vocal Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Feb 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Camel Caravan Broadcasts 1940
Jazz - Released by Jazz Band on 30 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sunday Monday or Always, Vol. 3
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 2 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1943 - 1945
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 15 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rockin' Chair Lady
Jazz - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 24 Dec 1946
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1937 - 1938
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 15 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Mildred Bailey Radio Shows
Jazz - Released by Nostalgia Arts on 15 Apr 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo