Ada Brown (singer)
Ada Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ada Scott Brown |
| Born | May 1, 1890 Kansas City, Kansas, United States |
| Died | March 30, 1950 (aged 59) Kansas City, Kansas, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1919–1950 |
Ada Scott Brown (May 1, 1890 – March 30, 1950)[1] was an American blues and jazz singer and actress. She is best known for her recordings of "Ill Natural Blues," "Break o' Day Blues," and "Evil Mama Blues."[1]
Biography
[edit]Brown was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas.[1] She was born into a musically inclined family, and grew up singing in church as a child. In 1910, she was able to successfully launch her career at Bob Motts' Pekin Theatre in Chicago. [2] Her cousin James Scott was a ragtime composer and pianist.[3] Her early career was spent primarily on stage in musical theater and vaudeville. She worked in clubs in Paris and Berlin before beginning to focus on recording.[2] She recorded with Bennie Moten and Mary H. Bradford in 1923; the track "Evil Mama Blues" is possibly the earliest recording of Kansas City jazz.[3] Aside from her time with Moten, she did several tours alongside bandleaders such as George E. Lee.[3] Her tours took place in theaters through the United States and Canada. During this time, Brown also appeared in black revues and musical comedies up and down Broadway.[2]
Brown was a founding member of the Negro Actors Guild of America in 1936.[3] with the goal of eliminating the stereotyping of African Americans in theatrical and cinematic performances. She worked with Fredi Washington, Leigh Whipper, and others to provide financial and social resources for African American entertainers.[4] She worked at the London Palladium and on Broadway in the late 1930s.[3] She sang "That Ain't Right" with Fats Waller in the musical film Stormy Weather (1943).[5]
Brown was regularly reviewed in the black press from 1920 to 1929 as her career continued to grow in vaudeville theaters. Unlike country bluesmen who accompanied themselves on acoustic guitar and harmonica, she worked with jazz pianists to give her songs a beat. Her style of blues was known as “blues wedded to jazz.”[6] She also appeared in Harlem to Hollywood, accompanied by pianist Harry Swannagan.[3] Brown was featured on two tracks of the compilation album Ladies Sing the Blues ("Break o' Day Blues" and "Evil Mama Blues").[7][8] One of her last appearances was in Memphis Bound, shortly before her retirement.[2]
Brown died in Kansas City of kidney disease in March 1950.[1]
Discography
[edit]- "Chattanooga Blues" (1923 with Bennie Moten Orchestra)
- "Evil Mama Blues" (1923 with Bennie Moten Orchestra)
- "Ill-Natured Blues" (1923 with Bennie Moten Orchestra)
- "Break O’Day Blues" (1924 with Bennie Moten Orchestra)
- "Waco Texas Blues" (1924 with Bennie Moten Orchestra)
- "Tia Juana Blues" (1926)
- "Panama Limited Blues" (1926)
- "Down Home Dance" feat. Porter Grainger (1929)
- "Crazy ‘Bout My Lollipop" feat. Porter Grainger (1929)
- "That Ain’t Right" feat. Fats Waller (1943)[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "The Dead Rock Stars Club – The 50s and Earlier". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Ada Brown". Big Train and the Loco Motives. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Bob McCann (2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 58. ISBN 9780786458042.
- ^ Joseph Bernardo (30 December 2008). "Negro Actors Guild of America". Black Past. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Ada Brown and Fats Waller performing "That Ain't Right" from Stormy Weather (1943) - online video
- ^ McGuire, Phillip (1986). "Black Music Critics and The Classic Blues Singers". The Black Perspective in Music. 14 (2): 105. ISSN 0090-7790. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 199. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Ladies Sing the Blues [ASV/Living Era]". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Eugene Chadbourne. "Ada Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
External links
[edit]- Ada Brown at IMDb
- Ada Brown at the Internet Broadway Database
