Maxine Sullivan on Art Ford's Jazz Party - 09 18 1958 (Part 8)

Personal Information

Born Marietta Williams on May 13, 1911, in Homestead, Pennsylvania; died on April 17, 1987, in New York City; married John Kirby (divorced), married Cliff Jackson; children: Paula Morris, Orville Williams.

Career

Benjamin Harrison Literary Club, singing from table to table, 1936; Onyx Club, New York City, recorded "Loch Lomond" and other songs, 1937; Made two films in Hollywood, Going Places and St. Louis Blues, 1938; performed on CBS Radio program titled Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm, 1939-41; toured Great Britain, 1948, 1954; performed at Le Ruban Bleu, 1946-52; performed at the Village Vanguard, 1952-56; came out of retirement at the Blues Alley Club in Washington, D.C., 1967; continued to tour and make records throughout the 1970s and 1980s until her death in 1987.

Life's Work

Maxine Sullivan was a jazz singer whose career spanned much of the twentieth century and took her from a Pittsburgh after-hours club to New York's hottest jazz clubs, to Hollywood, Broadway, and ultimately all over the world. She first appeared before an audience at the age of six when her grandmother signed her up to sing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" at the public library. Sullivan recorded her first hit in 1937 and received her last Grammy nomination in 1986 at the age of 75. Unlike the popular jazz and blues singers of her time, Sullivan was known not for her big voice but for her smooth and intricate swing delivery--a style that served her well for more than 50 years.

Young Singer Helped By Uncle

Maxine Sullivan was born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, on May 13, 1911. As early as she could remember, Sullivan was surrounded by music. Her father played the mandolin and one of her uncles was a bandleader. She took up singing at an early age and continued throughout high school, but her voice was different from many of the popular women singers of the day. The style of the jazz and blues singers of the early twentieth century was to belt out a song in a loud voice. In contrast, Sullivan sang with a softer swing style that was more intricate but less powerful. As a teenager she was included in her uncle's band, the Red Hot Peppers. She began singing the older more traditional songs and adapting them to the new swing style from the very beginning of her career, a practice which she would continue for the next 50 years in the music business.

Sullivan's first job as a professional singer came at the Benjamin Harrison Literary Club. Though the name sounded as if the establishment belonged on the campus of one of Pittsburgh's universities, it was really an illegal after-hours club that served liquor during the height of Prohibition. Sullivan told Los Angles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather about the club in a 1987 interview: "Actually the BHL Club had operated all through Prohibition, one of those 'Knock three times, who's there?' places, but after repeal it became a popular sportsmen's club where people would hang out after the legitimate clubs closed at 2 a.m.... I went to work at 11 p.m. and worked until unconscious, singing from table to table--you know, 99 choruses of "Dinah" or whatever. It was good experience, and it paid $14 a week plus tips. I stayed there for a year."

Sullivan got the job at a young age when her bandleader uncle introduced her to the owner of the club, and after a probationary period of just one week, she was hired as the club's singer. The speakeasy was a popular hangout for many jazz artists of the time, so Sullivan received valuable exposure. She met several members of the Chick Webb orchestra, as well as Gladys Mosier, a pianist in Ina Ray Hutton's band, one of the prominent New York Jazz combos of the time. Mosier urged Sullivan to strike out for the Big Apple, and arranged for a meeting with jazz composer Claude Thornhill in 1936.



Art Ford's Jazz Party 09 18 1958 with Maxine Sullivan

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[miltsar]

my favorite along with Mildred Bailey and Lee Wiley

[MisterStereo]

@miltsar a classic song.

[gardner593]

She is just beautiful  and swingin !

[MisterStereo]

@gardner593 Isn't she something!!

Natural talent and well a natural in front of a TV camera.

She would be a chart topper in today's music malaise.

[jazmaan]

Pure, unaffected talent! "I'm coming back for more!" :>

[MisterStereo]

@jazmaan Maxine had a natural voice - pure enjoyment to listen to.

[sirjuandabicho]

Encantador, muchisimas gracias por compartirlo.

[miltsar]

@MisterStereo she is so fucking cool !

[MisterStereo]

A great singer - must find more songs by her. She is a GEM !!