ARTIST SONG ALBUM
Nellie Lutcher Lake Charles Boogie Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Nellie Lutcher St. Louis Blues Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Nellie Lutcher There's Another Mule In Your Stall Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Nellie Lutcher Fine Brown Frame Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Nellie Lutcher Kinda Blue And Low Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Nellie Lutcher He's A Real Gone Guy Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm
Camille Howard The Boogie And The Blues Rock Me Daddy, Vol. 1
Camille Howard Ivory And Pick Boogie X-Temporaneous Boogie Vol. 2
Camille Howard Scat Boogie X-Temporaneous Boogie Vol. 2
Camille Howard I Ain't Got The Spirit Rock Me Daddy, Vol. 1
Camille Howard X-Temporaneous Boogie X-Temporaneous Boogie Vol. 2
Hadda Brooks Jukebox Boogie Romance In The Dark
Hadda Brooks I Feel So Good Romance In The Dark
Hadda Brooks Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere I've Got News For You
Hadda Brooks Ridin' The Boogie Swingin' The Boogie
Hadda Brooks Swingin' the Boogie I've Got News For You
Betty Hall Jones That Early Morning Boogie Complete Recordings 1947-1954
Betty Hall Jones You Got To Have What It Takes Complete Recordings 1947-1954
Betty Hall Jones The Same Old Boogie Complete Recordings 1947-1954
Julia Lee Decent Woman Blues Kansas City Star
Julia Lee Ain't It A Crime Kansas City Star
Julia Lee That's What I Like Kansas City Star
Julia Lee Kansas City Boogie Kansas City Star
Cleo Brown Cleo's Boogie Le Boogie Woogie Par Femmes
Cleo Brown The Hole In The Wall Blues For Dootsie
Vivianne Green Unfinished Boogie Le Boogie Woogie Par Femmes
Effie Smith (Clara lewis, p) Effie's Boogie Le Boogie Woogie Par Femmes
Martha Davis Just Say Goodbye Film Soundtrack
Martha Davis Martha's Boogie Film Soundtrack
Paul Watson Paula's Nightmare Swing Time Sisters
Christine Chatman Naptown Boogie Le Boogie Woogie Par Femmes
Helen Humes Hard Driving Mama Chronogical Helen Humes 1948-1950
Helen Humes I'm Gonna Let Him Ride Chronogical Helen Humes 1948-1950

Show Notes:

Nellie LutcherThis week’s show was inspired by Nellie Lutcher who passed away June 8th. Lutcher’s music is not easy to classify as she herself stated: “I’m a little bit of jazz, a little rhythm and blues. I do pop things and I like ballads,” she told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 1993. “But I don’t consider myself anything of rock. Whatever I did I made sure it was something I could restyle, because my whole thing was to give everything a creative, individual touch.” The six sides that kick things off come from the 4-CD Bear Family box Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm. On a side note I got a chance to see Lutcher at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz Festival which happened to be the first time she ever played the festival.

Playing the Lutcher sides got me thinking about other piano playing ladies. In fact there’s was something of a trend circa the mid to late 40’s of boogie woogie blues ladies, most based around the Los Angles area. Lutcher was born in Lake Charles, LA but made a name for herself playing piano at the Dunbar Hotel on Central Avenue in Los Angles. We spotlight a bunch of L.A. based piano ladies including Camille Howard and Betty Hall Jones, who both worked with bandleader Roy Milton, Hadda Brooks, Effie Smith and Vivianne Green. Julie Lee and Cleo Brown hailed from the midwest while Christine Chatman and Paula Watson were based in New York. Martha Davis (YouTube Video) was a tremendous piano pounder who recorded three Top Ten hits in 1948. Performing in a duo, Martha Davis & Spouse, which she shared with her bass player and husband, Calvin Ponder, she continued to tour through the 1950s but failed to repeat her early success.

Central Avenue from downtown Los Angeles to Watts was a thriving cultural center much like Harlem was to New York and Beale Street was in Memphis. Due to segregation and land use restrictions, African Americans moving to California to find work wound up on Central Avenue where it became the social and cultural center of their community. “During the 40’s the South Central Ave. area of Los Angles was home to a dense cluster of nightclubs, after-hours “breakfast clubs”, bars and theaters that were supported by the influx of African American workers who found employment in the southern California war industries.”* This segment will give you a small taste of some of the music played in these kinds of joints and we will be featuring much more West Coast blues in upcoming features.

*(Central Avenue Blues: The making of Los Angles Rhythm and Blues, 1942-1947)