My new band is already adding another dimension-a lady singer for some tunes...I haven't heard her yet, but according to the guys, she's got one hell of a voice-Aretha Franklin's right up her alley. So, my task is this: to come up with some killer songs in the mostly-blues vein for her to join us in. Cool by me-I'm totally fine just laying back and playing harp or singing backup. Problem is, I totally draw a blank when it comes to female blues singers(other than Etta James). Help a brother out:please name some singers and songs for me to consider. Videos are welcome!
BTW, it's somewhat irrelevant, but she was a former Miss Arkansas, so I guess I'll have to give up my tiara. ;-)
Bring on the tunes! Doesn't matter if the recordings have harp content or horns or not at all;we'll tweak them to suit. Thanks! ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
we have a female singer. we do just have her change the gender for songs, or use "baby", "sugar", and such. keys to the highway statesboro blues am i wrong things i use to do my old friend the blues angel fom montgomery
check out thornetta davis on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kg-9awPaJI&feature=related
female singers-etta james, koko taylor, sheri kane (madcat&kane), marcie ball, thorneta davis, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Ethel Waters, Ida Cox, Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace, Alberta Hunter, Clara Smith, Edith Wilson, Sara Martin, Trixie Smith, Lucille Hegamin and Bertha “Chippie” Hill, Lizzie Miles, Viola McCoy, Rosa Henderson, Martha Copeland, Bessie Jackson (Lucille Bogan), Edith Johnson, Katherine Baker, Margaret Johnson, Hattie Burleson, Madlyn Davis, Ivy Smith, Maggie Jones, Alberta Brown, Gladys Bentley, Billie Pierce, Ida Goodson, Virginia Liston, Fannie May Goosby, Bernice Edwards and Florence Mills.
Cool, I like duets..but I'll have to see if I can hang with this gal first! Keep 'em coming-videos would be a plus, if y'all know of any great recorded versions on youtube or elsewhere-would save me some digging time! ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
Lou Ann Barton,Janiva Magness,Bonnie Raitt,Shemieka Copeland,Candy Kane( no ex -Miss Arkansas,but ex porn star)Irma Thomas,Denise LaSalle,Ruth Brown,Marva Wright, Debbie Davies and Angela Strehli.If I can think of any more I,ll post em for you.I knew I had heard Sugar Ray Norcia duet with a gal a few years back and looked it up on his discography and he did one in 94 and 96 with a gal named Michelle Willson,really great tunes you may want to check them out.
Last Edited by on Feb 27, 2010 4:02 PM
Janis Joplin.the greatest female blues singer of them all,for me. most of the others,with a few exceptions,sound much alike to me.janis is a one off. when she first came to prominence,a lot of people thought she was black.she does sound black,but that doesn't make her the best.she sings blues like no other womanIMO.that makes her the best. i see big mama thornton mentioned here a few times. i'm not able to do it,but somebody could put BMT and jj on here singing Ball and Chain.i think the version of JJ thats the best is the one from the Monteray festival,outstanding. loads of great songs,move over,piece of my heart,little girl blue,kosmic blues. BTW,Mahalia Jackson is a favorite if mine too.
Gloth,i was lucky enough to see her live 3 times when she toured the UK.five feet and a bit,all beads and feathers,and just absolutely owned the place she was performing at. i've seen many others,non come close. i had a look on you tube for different versions of Little Girl Blue,there's a few different versions.nina simone is one of them,but comparing them to Janis is just laughable. having read what i've written here,it makes it look as if i'm eulogizing Janis,maybe i am,but no apologies from me.she's been gone since the 60s,and still i haven't heard any woman come close to what she could do with a song. am i exagerating? some of her stuff is on you tube,have a listen for yourselves and let me know.
I have played harp for 3 blues bands over the years with female singers. In my experience singers will arrive with their own agenda, and their own range of stuff, dependant on the vocal range they are comfortable with. I would strongly suggest you and your band mates audition this singer formally before offering a permanent place in the band. Take it from me it may be cool by you at the moment, but its best to see if you all sync in together musically and otherwise because you will be changing the dynamics of the band completely..it saves a lot of time wasting:-)
Good point, Harmonicanick...the band I've joined was formally a female-fronted band with a reportoire of r&b and blues, and I have basically stripped off the r&b and added a lot more blues. They are considering playing a separate thing just with her, but also want to fit her in. Don't worry;I don't let just anyone onstage...I've had that go sour before! ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
With female blues singers, you should expect to do a lot more jump blues than the more down home variety. Too often with a lot of white female blues singers, first thing I hear too often are Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt wannabes, and I almost don't want to hear another one.
Michelle Willson is a good friend of mine I've known for many years. It did take her a while to learn to sing more like a black singer, in terms of phrasing more off the 2 and the 4, rather than the way rockers tend to do, which is off the 1 and the 3.
I can't believe no one has mentioned Memphis Minnie, who was hugely influential in the Chicago blues scene in the 40's and 50's. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Bob - Most of the people here aren't hardcore blues fans and aren't going to dig deeper than Janis Joplin or Bonnie Raitt. I swear if I hear another women singer do, "You Can Have My Husband" or "Love Me Like A Man", I think I'll go nuts.
Todd - If you are doing more of a modern style Blues band, take a listen to some of the most recent female singers from Chicago. Many of whom got their start by working with Sunnyland Slim. (Sunnyland was the guy that introduced Muddy Waters to the Chess brothers.)
Bonnie Lee, Zora Young and Big Time Sarah are three with a traditional take on the Blues, yet mixed in some more modern tunes. Pick up any of their CD's. Some other female Chicago singers to look into are Shirley Johnson, Pat Scott and Karen Carroll. There is a nice CD with them called, "The Women of Blue Chicago."
If she sings in more of a R&B/Soul vein, take a listen to some of the Southern Soul singers like Irma Thomas, Denise LaSalle or Lynn White.
The good news is if you pick tunes from some of the lesser known artists, your stuff may sound more original and less like a cover band doing well known tunes.
Susan Tedeschi, covering Little by Little, plenty of room for some great harmonica fills. No harp on this live version, but the studio version has some nice harp. Not sure who's playing though.
Cool ideas thusfar-thanks! keep 'em coming. I was listening to some Shemekia Copeland tunes yesterday on YouTube, and I'm offering those up as suggestions, too. I think one was called Wild Woman.
As for harp content on recordings or not, that isn't an issue, because I'll add it! In fact, I love if a tune has signature horn or key parts;I get to emulate them.
You should do "I Won't Be Around" which is a song by Janiva Magness. If she can exude half the emotion Janiva does she'll get a standing O' every time.
