Martha Copeland
Encyclopedia
Martha Copeland was an American
classic female blues
singer, who recorded thirty four songs between 1923 and 1928. Her best known offerings are "Everybody Does It Now," "Good Time Mama Blues," and "Sorrow Valley Blues." Promoted by Columbia Records
as 'Everybody's Mammy', her recordings
did not sell in the quantities enjoyed by her label mates
Bessie
and Clara Smith
. Outside of her recording career, little is known of her life.
in his record sleeve
notes to The Story of The Blues, Vol. 2, commented that she was in her forties when Victoria Spivey
(born 1906) was in her teens
. Copeland started her recording career with Okeh
in 1923, and appeared in a vaudeville
revue
, Shuffle Along. Her output veered between blues standards; mirror images of current popular tracks ("Soul and Body," in response to Coleman Hawkins
's, "Body and Soul
"); and comedic
numbers ("I Ain't Your Hen, Mr. Fly Rooster" and "When The Wind Make Connection With Your Dry Goods").
Her more notable accompanists at various recordings included Rube Bloom
, Eddie Heywood
, Lou Hooper
, Cliff Jackson
, James P. Johnson
, and Louis Metcalf
(all on piano
), plus Bob Fuller
(clarinet
), and Bubber Miley (trumpet
).
Her total recording output is available on Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1923-1927), and Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2 (1927-1928) (Document
). Various compilation album
s also contain examples of Copeland's work.
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...
singer, who recorded thirty four songs between 1923 and 1928. Her best known offerings are "Everybody Does It Now," "Good Time Mama Blues," and "Sorrow Valley Blues." Promoted by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as 'Everybody's Mammy', 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...
did not sell in the quantities enjoyed by her label mates
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
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...
and Clara Smith
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:...
. Outside of her recording career, little is known of her life.
Biography
Copeland's birth date is unknown, although Paul OliverPaul Oliver
-Biography:Oliver was a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development , and from 1978-88 was Associate Head of the School of Architecture. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire...
in his record sleeve
Record sleeve
A record sleeve is the outer covering of a vinyl recording. The sleeve is technically the paper covering that is closest in contact to the surface of the recording, as in "dust sleeve", "liner" and "album liner". The term has come to be synonymous with "record jacket" and "album jacket", which is...
notes to The Story of The Blues, Vol. 2, commented that she was in her forties when Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey was an American blues singer and songwriter. She is best known for her recordings of "Dope Head Blues" and "Organ Grinder Blues", and Spivey variously worked with her sister, Addie "Sweet Pease" Spivey, and with Bob Dylan, Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence...
(born 1906) was in her teens
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. Copeland started her recording career 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:...
in 1923, and appeared in a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, Shuffle Along. Her output veered between blues standards; mirror images of current popular tracks ("Soul and Body," in response to Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
's, "Body and Soul
Body and Soul (song)
"Body and Soul" was recorded as a duet by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse in 2011. It was the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011 on iTunes, MTV and VH1....
"); and comedic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
numbers ("I Ain't Your Hen, Mr. Fly Rooster" and "When The Wind Make Connection With Your Dry Goods").
Her more notable accompanists at various recordings included Rube Bloom
Rube Bloom
Reuben Bloom was a Jewish American multi-faceted entertainer, and in addition to being a songwriter, pianist, arranger, band leader, recording artist, vocalist, and writer .During his career, he worked with many well-known performers, including Bix Beiderbecke, Joe Venuti, Ruth Etting,...
, Eddie Heywood
Eddie Heywood
Eddie Heywood was a jazz pianist who was popular in the 1940s. His father, Eddie Heyward, Sr. was also a jazz musician from the 1920s. Heywood, Jr...
, Lou Hooper
Lou Hooper
Louis Stanley Hooper was a Canadian jazz pianist....
, Cliff Jackson
Cliff Jackson
Clifton Luther "Cliff" Jackson was an American jazz stride pianist.After playing in Atlantic City, Jackson moved to New York City in 1923, where he played with Lionel Howard's Musical Aces in 1924 and recorded with Bob Fuller and Elmer Snowden...
, James P. Johnson
James P. Johnson
James P. Johnson was an American pianist and composer...
, and Louis Metcalf
Louis Metcalf
Louis Metcalf was a jazz cornetist and trumpeter. He played for a short time with Duke Ellington for which he is best remembered....
(all on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), plus Bob Fuller
Bob Fuller
Bob Fuller was an American blues and jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, best known for his recordings accompanying female singers of the 1920s....
(clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
), and Bubber Miley (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
).
Her total recording output is available on Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1923-1927), and Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 2 (1927-1928) (Document
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...
). Various compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s also contain examples of Copeland's work.