Maxine Sullivan - I'm Coming Virginia (1937)

Maxine Sullivan was born in Pennsylvania in 1911 and had very little formal musical training. While singing in the Ben Harrison Literary Club (actually a prohibition era speakeasy) she was discovered by Gladys Mosier who was a member of Ina Rae Hutton's Big Band and a close friend of Claude Thornhill. She was introduced to Thornhill and under his guidance, made her first 4 records in the summer of 1937, including the recording of Loch Lomond presented on this vid. Critics gave her performance friendly reviews and she was off to NY to seek club engagements. While performing at the Onyx Club in NY she met, married, and formed a musical partnership with musician John Kirby. The Loch Lomond recording became a national hit but unfortunately cast Sullivan as a ballad singer despite her obvious talent as a smooth jazz singer. In 1940, Sullivan and Kirby became the first black jazz stars to have a nationally syndicated radio show "Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm". By 1948 she was on an extended tour of Great Britain and continued to record until 1956. In 1958, she left show biz to raise her kids and become a nurse.

Sullivan appeared on stage in '39 and '53 and in two movies-St. Louis Blues and Going Places with Louis Armstrong and Ronald Reagan. After she had raised her kids, she quit nursing to rejoin showbiz and from 1975 to 1984, she toured Sweden and France and had several long engagements at Parisian clubs. She died in 1987 still performing her art at age 76.

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[bfwalsh1]

Maxine Sullivan, Pittsburgh's greatest export! Not enough people know her, the perfect jazz vocalist!!!