Lillian Goodner
Encyclopedia
Lillian Goodner was an African American
blues
singer, who performed in the classic female blues
style that was popular during the 1920s. She was billed as "Sister Lillian: Queen of the Sepias".
Born Lillian Paige in Montgomery, Alabama
, United States
she grew up in Chicago
, Illinois
. Her abilities as a vocalist were recognized early. She entered and won amateur contests before embarking on a professional career, in which she toured the country with her childhood friend, Mae Crowder, in an act billed as "The Creole Sisters".
In 1923–1924 Goodner recorded six sides for Ajax Records. In the 1920s she toured major cities in the US and Canada, as well as Europe and Australia. In the early 1930s she performed with Duke Ellington
and his band. After marrying William Penn she settled in Minneapolis and continued to work nightclubs in the American Midwest. During World War II
, Goodner performed in U.S.O. shows in Detroit and Oakland, California
; in 1942 she appeared at Maxwell Field in Montgomery with Glenn Miller
. She continued to play club dates in the 1950s, and also performed on WTCN-TV
in Minneapolis.
By 1960 she had returned to Alabama after the death of her husband. She occasionally performed at private parties until the 1970s, when she entered a nursing home. In 1994, a few months before Goodner's death, her collection of publicity photos of her fellow entertainers was found in a storage shed. These photographs, many of which she had taken herself, included images of performers such as Josephine Baker
, Cab Calloway
, Bessie Smith
, Valaida Snow
, Glenn Miller, and Etta Moten, and many others whose names are less familiar. According to writer Marc Bankert, "in some cases, Lillian's photographs represent the only known images of the once-celebrated performers of her era".
by Document Records
on Female Blues Singers – Vol. 6: E/F/G (1922–1929), DOCD-5510.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer, who performed in the 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...
style that was popular during the 1920s. She was billed as "Sister Lillian: Queen of the Sepias".
Born Lillian Paige in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
she grew up in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Her abilities as a vocalist were recognized early. She entered and won amateur contests before embarking on a professional career, in which she toured the country with her childhood friend, Mae Crowder, in an act billed as "The Creole Sisters".
In 1923–1924 Goodner recorded six sides for Ajax Records. In the 1920s she toured major cities in the US and Canada, as well as Europe and Australia. In the early 1930s she performed with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and his band. After marrying William Penn she settled in Minneapolis and continued to work nightclubs in the American Midwest. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Goodner performed in U.S.O. shows in Detroit and Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
; in 1942 she appeared at Maxwell Field in Montgomery with Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
. She continued to play club dates in the 1950s, and also performed on WTCN-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
in Minneapolis.
By 1960 she had returned to Alabama after the death of her husband. She occasionally performed at private parties until the 1970s, when she entered a nursing home. In 1994, a few months before Goodner's death, her collection of publicity photos of her fellow entertainers was found in a storage shed. These photographs, many of which she had taken herself, included images of performers such as Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Bessie Smith
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...
, Valaida Snow
Valaida Snow
Valaida Snow was an African American jazz musician and entertainer.She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Raised on the road in a show-business family, she learned to play cello, bass, banjo, violin, mandolin, harp, accordion, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone at professional levels by the time...
, Glenn Miller, and Etta Moten, and many others whose names are less familiar. According to writer Marc Bankert, "in some cases, Lillian's photographs represent the only known images of the once-celebrated performers of her era".
Discography
Lillian Goodner's complete recorded works have been reissued on CDCompact 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...
on Female Blues Singers – Vol. 6: E/F/G (1922–1929), DOCD-5510.