Best female American singer

[Alan Balfour]

But flipping back to relative obscurities ('cos that's what we like on this site, you know we do) I'd also nominate Bessie Jones as a worthy contender. I don't know much about her and, as far as I know, she didn't bring out many records. But she has a few field recordings on the Alan Lomax box set 'Sounds of the South' which are quite stunning. My favourite is 'Sometimes' (which was sampled by Moby a few years ago). I can't find a clip of that, but here's a sound-only youtube of her singing 'O Death'.http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a_UfPLijcOI

She was born Mary Elizabeth Jones, Smithville Georgia, February 8, 1902 and died of leukemia September 4, 1984. Her last public performance was the previous month at the annual Georgia Sea Island Festival on St. Simon's. I have a super book published in 1972 entitled "Step It Down; Games, Plays, Songs & Stories From The Afro-American Heritage" compiled by Bessie Jones and Bess Lomax Hawes. But I guess this info, such as it is, must be in the notes to the box set...

[Gordon Neill]

Thanks for the info, Alan. None of this, as far as I can see, is covered in the booklet accompanying the box set. I've looked before for a CD by Bessie Jones, but it would never had occurred to me to look for a book. ..... and it's there on Amazon for £4.80! On the basis of your 'super' I shall make an investment....

[Alan Balfour]

Thanks for the info, Alan. None of this, as far as I can see, is covered in the booklet accompanying the box set. I've looked before for a CD by Bessie Jones, but it would never had occurred to me to look for a book. ..... and it's there on Amazon for £4.80! On the basis of your 'super' I shall make an investment....

£4.80, that's a bargain. I think the reason there's no LP/CD is due to the fact not enough recordings were made of her to warrant such. Mind you some enterprising person could bundle the recordings of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, of which she was a member, and maybe get a CD's worth.

[Gordon Neill]

Thanks for the info, Alan! Your mention of the 'Georgia Sea Island Singers' rang a bell somewhere in my memory. Yup! There's two volumes of theirs on Rounder Records series of Alan Lomax Southern Journey (volumes 12 and 13). They're both going quite reasonably on Amazon Marketplace, but I may have to wait until next month (there's only so many bargains you can take before you go bankrupt).

[Alan Balfour]

Thanks for the info, Alan! Your mention of the 'Georgia Sea Island Singers' rang a bell somewhere in my memory. Yup! There's two volumes of theirs on Rounder Records series of Alan Lomax Southern Journey (volumes 12 and 13). They're both going quite reasonably on Amazon Marketplace, but I may have to wait until next month (there's only so many bargains you can take before you go bankrupt).

If you go to http://www.wirz.de/music/mcdowfrm.htm (a Fred McDowell discography) you'll see the covers of some of the original 1950s/60s Atlantic LPs.

[Rob Hall]

Some years ago, when we could afford such extravagant trips, we spent a very enjoyable week on St Simon's Island. The Georgia Sea Islands and associated mainland is a relatively little known but beautiful part of the country with a fascinating local history; highly recommended, I'd love to go back there myself.