Mildred Bailey

Mildred Bailey
Bailey in New York City, 1947
Background information
Born	(1907-02-27)February 27, 1907 Tekoa, Washington, U.S.
Died	December 12, 1951(1951-12-12) (aged 44) Poughkeepsie, New York
Genres	Jazz, vocal jazz, blues
Occupation(s)	Singer
Labels	Vocalion
Associated acts	Red Norvo, Bing Crosby

Mildred Rinker Bailey (February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". Some of her best-known hits are "It's So Peaceful in the Country", "Trust in Me", "Where Are You?", "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart", "Small Fry", "Please Be Kind", "Darn That Dream", "Rockin' Chair", "Blame It on My Last Affair", and "Says My Heart".

Biography

Bailey was born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa,^[1] Washington. Her mother, Josephine, was an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe^[2] and a devout Roman Catholic.^[3] Her father, Charles, played fiddle and called square dances. Her mother played piano every evening after supper and taught Mildred to play and sing. Her brothers were the vocalist and composer Al Rinker and the lyricist Charles Rinker.^[4]

Music career

At seventeen, Bailey moved to Seattle and worked as a sheet music demonstrator at Woolworth's. She married and divorced Ted Bailey, keeping his last name because she thought it sounded more American than Rinker.^[3] With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues and jazz singer on the West Coast. According to Gary Giddins, in his book Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years 1903–1940, in 1925 she secured work for her brother, Al Rinker, and his partner, Bing Crosby. Giddins further states that Crosby first heard of Louis Armstrong and other Chicago black jazz records from Bailey's collection. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman. She sang with Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1933. According to Giddins, Whiteman had a popular radio program, and when Bailey debuted with her version of "Moanin' Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate, although she did not start recording with Whiteman until late 1931.

Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for a session by the Eddie Lang Orchestra in 1929 ("What Kind o' Man Is You?", a Hoagy Carmichael song that was issued only in the UK) and a 1930 recording of "I Like to Do Things for You" for Frankie Trumbauer. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932 (recording in a smooth crooning style), when she left the band over salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick in 1933 (accompanied by the Dorsey Brothers) and an all-star session with Benny Goodman's studio band in 1934, featuring Coleman Hawkins.

In the mid-1930s, she recorded with her third husband, Red Norvo. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". From 1936 to 1939 Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey made her own recordings for Vocalion, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie's band. Despite their divorce, the two continue to record together off and on until 1945. She also sang on a number of Benny Goodman's Columbia recordings in 1939 and 1940.

A large woman, she suffered from diabetes and depression. She only made a few recordings following World War II.

Bailey died of heart failure, due chiefly to diabetes, on December 12, 1951, in Poughkeepsie, New York, aged 44. Her ashes were scattered. Norvo outlived Bailey by nearly half a century, dying in April 1999, a week after his 91st birthday.

Awards and honors

In 1989, Bailey was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Number one hits

In 1938, Bailey had two number one hits with Red Norvo. "Please Be Kind" was number one for two weeks. She also sang lead vocals on "Says My Heart" by Red Norvo and his Orchestra, which was number one for four weeks on the pop charts. "Says My Heart" reached number one during the week of June 18, 1938. Bailey sang lead vocals on "Darn That Dream", recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, which reached number one for one week in March 1940 on the U.S. pop singles chart.

Discography

Hit singles

(Vocalion releases only)

Notable songs

• "Georgia on My Mind" (1932)
• "I'll Never Be the Same" (1932)
• "Lazy Bones" (1933)
• "Heat Wave" (1933)
• "Ol' Pappy" (1934)
• "I'd Love to Take Orders from You" (1935)
• "Someday, Sweetheart" (1935)
• "When Day Is Done" (1935)
• "Honeysuckle Rose" (1935)
• "Squeeze Me" (1935)
• "'Long About Midnight" (1936)
• "It Can Happen to You" (1936)
• "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (1937)
• "Slumming on Park Avenue" (1937)
• "Worried Over You" (1937)
• "Love Is Here to Stay" (1938)
• "Please Be Kind" (1938)
• "Weekend of a Private Secretary" (1938)
• "Says My Heart" (1938)
• "Garden of the Moon" (1938)
• "Have You Forgotten So Soon?" (1938)
• "Born to Swing" (1938)
• "I Go for That" (1939)
• "Love's a Necessary Thing" (1939)
• "I'm Glad There Is You" (1939)
• "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" (1939)
• "The Lamp Is Low" (1939)
• "I Thought About You" (1939)
• "Bluebirds in the Moonlight" (1939)
• "Darn That Dream" (1939)
• "It's So Peaceful in the Country" (1940)
• "In Love in Vain" (1946)
• "It's a Woman's Prerogative" (1946)
• "Almost Like Being in Love" (1947)

References

Further reading

• The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz 1900-1950 by Roger D. Kinkle (Arlington House Publishers, 1974)