Big Maybelle
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Biography
Mabel Louise Smith, known professionally as Big Maybelle, was born on 1â¯Mayâ¯1924 in Jackson, Tennessee, and emerged as a notable American R&B singer and pianist. After singing in the Church of God in Christ choir and winning a competition at the Memphis Cotton Carnival at age nine, she began a professional career in 1936, recording her first single "Hurry, Hurry" with Christine Chatmanâs orchestra in 1944. She signed with King Records in 1947, releasing three singles, and joined Tiny Bradshawâs orchestra until 1950. Her breakthrough came with Okeh Records, where "Gabbin' Blues" (8â¯Octoberâ¯1952) reached Numberâ¯3 on the R&B charts, followed by two additional Topâ¯10 hits; she also recorded the original version of "Whole Lotta Shakinâ Goinâ On" during this period. In 1956 she moved to Savoy Records, issuing "Candy" (Numberâ¯11 on the R&B list) and other singles, though subsequent label changes to Brunswick, Scepter, and Rojac yielded limited commercial impact. She appeared in the 1958 documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day and continued to record sporadically until the late 1960s, when she released "Don't Pass Me By" (1966). Big Maybelle died on 23â¯Januaryâ¯1972 in Cleveland, Ohio, after a diabetic coma; her legacy was honored with induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- St. Louis Blues
- Stay As Sweet As You Are
- The Other Night
- Tell Me Who
- That's All
- Ring Dang Dilly/Candy
- That's A Pretty Good Love
- The Basement Blues
- Ain't No Use
- The Hesitating Blues
- Such A Cutie
- There I've Said It Again
- Gabbin' Blues
- True, True Feeling
- Until The Real Thing Comes Along
- Way Back Home
- Way Down South Where the Blues Began
- A Good Man Is Hard To Find
- A Little Bird Told Me
- Ain'tcha Glad That I Want You
- Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
- All of Me
- Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
- Yellow Dog Blues
