Big Mama collected only about $500 for her big hit. The B-side was “They Call Me Big Mama.” The record climbed to number one on the Billboard R&B charts, where it stayed for seven weeks and sold almost two million copies. She did not play harmonica on the recording. That same year Big Mama Thornton recorded “Hound Dog” for Peacock Records in Texas. In 1952, singer/guitarist Norman “Guitar Slim” Green recorded two songs with a woman identified only as “Turner” on harmonica. I’ve recently had my attention directed to several excellent YT videos by women players headlined “Mulheres Gaitistas”–“Women Harmonica Players.” Here’s a webpage you should check out: Grace Brim would become known as the “Queen of the Harmonica” and she made several recordings in the ’50s with and without her husband. In 1950, John Brim recorded “Strange Man” featuring his wife Grace on vocals and harmonica. Very little is written about her in the blues history books. She played in the Memphis Jug Band, but the harmonica on her few recordings was played by someone else. She was a singer and the mother of blues singer Lucille Hegamin. One of the first women known to play blues harmonica was Minnie Wallace. She was most likely the first woman to record on the harmonica. She became widely popular in French-speaking Canada as Madame Bolduc in the late 20s and 30s and made her first records in 1929. One of the first women to become popular playing the harmonica was Mary Travers who sang and also played violin, accordion, spoons and jaw harp. Here’s a few notes from this excellent site: It’s entitled, not surprisingly, “Hermonicas” Norman Davis has created the DEFINITIVE website on female harmonica players. Sandra Vasquez -another Latin American harp player WINNER of The 2009, 2013 & 2015 Blues Audience Newsletter Reader’s Poll for She was born in Southern Brazil, Itajai, Santa Catarina.( Tiffany Harp is a traditional American Blues Harmonicaplayer. Mariana Borssato – Saint Louis Blues: some clean notes… Now lets also go back in time and enjoy the playing and show-womanship of Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton:Īnd a great version of ball and chain –with Buddy Guy’s bandĪnd moving back to the “modern’ age with Rachelle Plas, who is a particular favourite of mine:Ī couple of clips illustrating how slow and sensitive her playing can be as well as one showing her faster rocking capabilitiesĪlthough she may be the star of the future there are many other female harp players : Lets start with today, with some great playing by Rachelle Plas,from France (Mellow Down Easy -Little Walter): So lets champion some of the great women, both past and present while looking to the future. We can list John Lee Williamson, DeFord Bailey, Rice Miller,Walter Horton, Junior Wells,Little Walter, Sonny Terry, Sugar Blue,Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield, James Cotton,George Smith, Carey Bell and many others…but can we remember the female players? As in many spheres, women take second place when human achievement is recorded and made public, and blues harp playing is no different.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |