Laura Smith (blues singer)
Encyclopedia
Laura Smith was an American
classic female blues
and country blues
singer. She is best known for her recordings
of "Gonna Put You Right In Jail" and her version of "Don't You Leave Me Here". She led Laura Smith and her Wild Cats, and worked with Clarence Williams and Perry Bradford
. Details of her life outside of the music industry are scanty.
, Indiana
, although her date of birth is unknown. What is certain is that in the early part of the 1920s, Smith toured the T.O.B.A.
circuit. Her recording career started in 1924 with Okeh
, and she finished it just three years later by recording some tracks for Victor
. Music journalist
, Scott Yanow
, noted that her earliest recordings were her strongest, "by the time she recorded "Don't You Leave Me Here" in 1927, much of the power was gone". Her recordings included two songs, "The Mississippi Blues" and "Lonesome Refugee", which were both written about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
.
She was seen as part of the unrelated set of Smith women (Mamie
, Bessie
, Clara
and Trixie
) who all recorded blues songs. In total, thirty five numbers were recorded by Laura Smith. It was reported that by 1926, Smith was married to a comedian, Slim Jones, and to be living in Baltimore
.
Her most notable number, "Don't You Leave Me Here" was, some ten years later, made more famous by a version recorded by Jelly Roll Morton
.
Laura Smith died of the long term effects of hypertension
, in February 1932 in Los Angeles
.
All her available recordings have been made released on CD
by Document Records
(see below). She is not to be confused with the latter-day, Canadian folk
singer-songwriter
, of the same name
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classic female blues
Classic female blues
Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female vocalists accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles, and were the...
and country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
singer. She is best known for her recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of "Gonna Put You Right In Jail" and her version of "Don't You Leave Me Here". She led Laura Smith and her Wild Cats, and worked with Clarence Williams and Perry Bradford
Perry Bradford
Perry Bradford was an African American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer....
. Details of her life outside of the music industry are scanty.
Biography
Smith was probably born in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, although her date of birth is unknown. What is certain is that in the early part of the 1920s, Smith toured the T.O.B.A.
Theater Owners Bookers Association
Theater Owners Booking Association, or T.O.B.A., was the vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s and 1930s. The theaters all had white owners and collaborated in booking jazz, blues, comedians, and other performers for black audiences...
circuit. Her recording career started in 1924 with Okeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, and she finished it just three years later by recording some tracks for Victor
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
. Music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...
, noted that her earliest recordings were her strongest, "by the time she recorded "Don't You Leave Me Here" in 1927, much of the power was gone". Her recordings included two songs, "The Mississippi Blues" and "Lonesome Refugee", which were both written about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.-Events:The flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to...
.
She was seen as part of the unrelated set of Smith women (Mamie
Mamie Smith
-External links:* African American Registry* with photos* with .ram files of her early recordings* NPR special on the selection on "Crazy Blues" to the 2005...
, Bessie
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
, Clara
Clara Smith
Clara Smith was an American classic female blues singer. She was billed as the "Queen of the Moaners", although Smith actually had a lighter and sweeter voice than her contemporaries and main competitors.-Career:...
and Trixie
Trixie Smith
Trixie Smith was an African American blues singer, recording artist, vaudeville entertainer, and actress. She made four dozen recordings.-Biography:...
) who all recorded blues songs. In total, thirty five numbers were recorded by Laura Smith. It was reported that by 1926, Smith was married to a comedian, Slim Jones, and to be living in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
Her most notable number, "Don't You Leave Me Here" was, some ten years later, made more famous by a version recorded by Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
.
Laura Smith died of the long term effects of hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, in February 1932 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
All her available recordings have been made released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by Document Records
Document Records
Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945...
(see below). She is not to be confused with the latter-day, Canadian folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, of the same name
Laura Smith
Laura Smith is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1995 single "Shade of Your Love", one of the year's biggest hits on adult contemporary radio stations in Canada, and for her adaptation of the Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" which she entitled "My Bonny"...
.
Compilation albums
| Album title | Record label | Year of release |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1924-27) | Document Records Document Records Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945... |
1996 |
| Edna Hicks - Hazel Meyers - Laura Smith Vol. 2 (1923-1927) | Document Records | 1996 |