BIG MAYBELLE - The Chronological Big Maybelle 1944-1953 (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Her mountainous stature matching the sheer soulful power of her massive vocal talent, Big Maybelle was one of the premier R&B chanteuses of the 1950s. Her deep, gravelly voice was as singular as her recorded output for Okeh and Savoy, which ranged from down-in-the-alley blues to pop-slanted ballads. In 1967, she even covered ? & the Mysterians' "96 Tears" (it was her final chart appearance). Alleged drug addiction leveled the mighty belter at the premature age of 47, but Maybelle packed a lot of living into her shortened lifespan.
Born Mabel Louise Smith, the singer strolled off with top honors at a Memphis amateur contest at the precocious age of eight. Gospel music was an important element in Maybelle's intense vocal style, but the church wasn't big enough to hold her talent. In 1936, she hooked up with Memphis bandleader Dave Clark; a few years later, Maybelle toured with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She debuted on wax with pianist Christine Chatman's combo on Decca in 1944, before signing with Cincinnati's King Records in 1947 for three singles of her own backed by trumpeter Hot Lips Page's band.
Producer Fred Mendelsohn discovered Smith in the Queen City, re-christened her Big Maybelle, and signed her to Columbia's OKeh R&B subsidiary in 1952. Her first Okeh platter, the unusual "Gabbin' Blues" (written by tunesmith Rose Marie McCoy and arranger Leroy Kirkland) swiftly hit, climbing to the upper reaches of the R&B charts. "Way Back Home" and "My Country Man" made it a 1953 hat trick for Maybelle and OKeh. In 1955, she cut a rendition of "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On" a full two years before Louisiana piano pumper Jerry Lee Lewis got his hands and feet on it. Mendelsohn soon brought her over to Herman Lubinsky's Savoy diskery, where her tender rendition of the pop chestnut "Candy" proved another solid R&B hit in 1956. Maybelle rocked harder than ever at Savoy, her "Ring Dang Dilly," "That's a Pretty Good Love," and "Tell Me Who" benefiting from blistering backing by New York's top sessioneers. Her last Savoy date in 1959 reflected the changing trends in R&B; Howard Biggs' stately arrangements encompassed four violins. Director Bert Stern immortalized her vivid blues-belting image in his documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, filmed in color at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Maybelle persevered throughout the '60s, recording for Brunswick, Scepter (her "Yesterday's Kisses" found her coping admirably with the uptown soul sound), Chess, Rojac (source of "96 Tears"), and other labels. But the good years were long gone when she slipped into a diabetic coma and passed away in a Cleveland hospital in 1972. by Bill Dahl
Tracklist:
1 –Christine Chatman & Her Orchestra Hurry, Hurry 3:05
2 –Mabel Smith Indian Giver 2:30
3 –Mabel Smith Foolin' Blues 2:39
4 –Mabel Smith Little Miss Muffet 2:50
5 –Mabel Smith Bad Dream Blues 2:59
6 –Mabel Smith Too Tight Mama 2:51
7 –Mabel Smith Sad And Disappointed Girl 2:35
8 –Mabel Smith Don't Try To Fool Me 2:43
9 –Mabel Smith Dirty Deal Blues 2:47
10 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Just Want Your Love 3:12
11 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra So Good To My Baby 2:31
12 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Gabbin' Blues 2:38
13 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra My Country Man 2:32
14 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Rain Down Rain 3:02
15 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Way Back Home 2:43
16 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Stay Away From My Sam 2:32
17 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Jinny Mule 2:43
18 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Send For Me 3:08
19 –Big Maybelle With Leroy Kirkland Orchestra Maybelle's Blues 3:08
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Vincent Bair-Bey (tracks: 2 to 9)
Baritone Saxophone – Dave McRae (tracks: 10 to 19)
Bass – Al Hall (tracks: 16 to 19), Carl "Flat Top" Wilson (tracks: 2 to 9), Grachan Moncur (tracks: 10 to 15), Roger Jones (tracks: 1)
Drums – Charlie Smith (tracks: 10 to 13), Clarence "Bobby" Donaldson (tracks: 2 to 9), Horace Washington (tracks: 1), Marty Wilson (tracks: 14 to 19)
Guitar – Brownie McGhee (tracks: 16 to 19), James Cannady (tracks: 10 to 15), Lonnie Johnson (tracks: 2 to 9)
Piano – Christine Chatman (tracks: 1), Fletcher Smith (tracks: 10 to 15), Joe Knight (tracks: 2 to 9), Lee Anderson (tracks: 16 to 19)
Speech – Rose Marie McCoy (tracks: 10 to 15)
Tenor Saxophone – Hal Singer (tracks: 2 to 9), Ralph Bowden (tracks: 1), Sam Taylor (tracks: 10 to 19), Tom Archia (tracks: 2 to 9), Bill Moore (tracks: 1)
Trombone – Alfred Cobbs (tracks: 10 to 15), Eli Robinson (tracks: 16 to 19), Joe Britton (tracks: 2 to 9)
Trumpet – Hot Lips Page (tracks: 2 to 9), Reginald Adams (tracks: 1)
Vocals – Big Maybelle (tracks: 10 to 19), Mabel Smith (Big Maybelle) (tracks: 1), Mabel Smith (tracks: 2 to 9)