Blame It On Steinski

And before I leave the subject of witty songs and witty singers…

I’d like to spend just a moment on Mae Barnes. Not a songwriter, she was a tap dancer until an auto accident fractured her pelvis and she turned to singing. Lucky us.

Somewhere in the yet-to-be-unpacked realms of my studio I have a CD of material Ms. Barnes cut for a label whose name I don’t remember; but the most memorable wonderfulness of her performances was captured by Atlantic. They first issued the material as “Fun with Mae Barnes,” an early LP, backed by the Garland Wilson combination. This was reissued (where I first heard any of this) on a box set,  “The Erteguns Cabaret Music.”

I could go on about her jazziness, her sophistication, her earthiness, and her incredible humor, but I’ll just attach an MP3 at the end of the post and let you dig it for yourself. The song, “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” is one of many by Spencer Williams. Some AV material follows, but make sure you dig the MP3. If that gets you all excited, write me and I’ll hook you up with some more.

http://www.dailymotion.com/videox17blt.

While I was cruising around looking for moom pitchas of Ms. Barnes, I stumbled across this gleaming shard by the Mound City Blue Blowers. They don’t need no stinking trumpet, they don’t need no stinking drums.

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01 mae barnes i ain’t got nobody

Featuring Mae Barnes, Bobby Short, Mabel Mercer, and other fine artists to delight the discriminating sophisticate (that would be you).

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1 Comment

dbfly

April 21, 2011 @ 8:27 pm

Yo Steinski

Mae Barnes rules. She was the Eretgun’s favorite, she was Hefner’s favorite (appeared on Playboy After Dark), and she was the toast of New York’s cabaret scene.

The other record you’re referring to was produced by John Hammond for Vanguard, and uses much of the Basie rhythm section (the same guys he used for early Aretha tracks on Columbia.)

Pls drop a line?

- David

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