Mildred Bailey
Albums
Boasting a charismatic voice that had an amazing emotional range, Mildred Bailey is one of the more underrated talents of the jazz era. On the Complete Columbia [more]
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Appearances
![Hoagy Carmichael Songbook [RCA]](/cache/JHS/c5/130x130_on-sale_c58829o87j6.png)
The music of Hoagy Carmichael is celebrated on this 20-song collection of otherwise unrelated recordings from the 1932-1968 period. The earliest performance is Mildred Bailey's
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This Living Era portrait of Red Norvo presents some of the very best recordings he made between 1933 and 1946. The journey begins with three early "chamber music" sides featuring [more]
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This very interesting two-LP set has quite a variety of material from the 1936-42 period, including a few airchecks, small-group sessions led by Mildred Bailey, Harry James, Glenn [more]
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This is a clever collection of 25 tracks that either feature the word Harlem in the title (19 of them) or reference it in the lyrics. The CD includes five tracks by Duke Ellington, [more]
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![Ladies of Jazz [Columbia River]](/cache/JHS/d2/130x130_d29372croky.jpg)
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Boasting a charismatic voice that had an amazing emotional range, Mildred Bailey is one of the more underrated talents of the jazz era. On the Complete Columbia [more]
- List Price: $44.98
- Member Price: $40.48
- List Price: $44.98
- Member Price: $40.48
Biography
- Born 1907 in Tekoa, WA
- Died Dec 12th 1951 in Poughkeepsie, NY
- Styles
- Vibraphone/Marimba Jazz
- Jazz Instrument
- Instrument(s)
An early jazz singer with a sweet voice that belied her plump physique, 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. Recording for Vocalion during the 1930s, Bailey often utilized her husband, xylophonist 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, All Music Guide
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