Mildred Bailey (c.1900-1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing.” She was a major pioneer of the “swing” style of singing that became synonymous with jazz vocals.
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This month, we're diving into the "Divas" of history, examining how the label has been used from many angles, whether describing women pejoratively... or with admiration.
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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello. My name is Sarah Shleid. I'm a producer Wonder Media Network, and I'm excited to be guest hosting this episode of Womanica. This month, we're diving into the divas of history, examining how the label has been used from many angles, whether describing women pejoratively or with admiration. In the smoky jazz clubs of the nineteen thirties, there emerged a soprano voice as sweet as honey. Legends like Anita o'dey and Tony Bennett would often lose themselves in the singer's melodies, letting her smooth tones inspire a path for their own artistry and helped popularize jazz as a mainstream genre during the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties. Please welcome Mildred Bailey. Mildred was born in the early nineteen hundreds and grew up in the small, close knit town of De smet Idaho, nestled in the Cordelaine Reservation. Her mother was Native American and played classical piano. Her father was of Irish Swiss descent and played the fiddle. On occasional nights, the family would transform their living room into a makeshift music hall where neighbors gathered to enjoy the lively jingles played by the family. Moments like these, as well as her early exposure to Native American music, influenced Mildred's singing style and trained her for what was to come. She later said, I don't know whether native music compares with jazz or the classics, but I do know that it offers a young singer a remarkable background in training. You have to sing a lot of notes to get by, and you've got to cover an awful range. By the time Mildred was a teenager, the family had moved to the city spoke Anne Washington. There she began studying piano in school. In nineteen sixteen, tragedies struck the family when Mildred's mother died. Her father then married a woman who seemed more concerned with getting Mildred and her siblings out of the house than being a stepmom. Around age seventeen, Mildred left and moved to Seattle. There, she started singing in local speakeasies. It was during this time that she began developing her lifelong friendship with American actor and singer Bing Crosby. In the early nineteen twenties, Mildred relocated again to Los Angeles to pursue her singing career. A few years later, her brother and Bing joined her, and she advised them on auditions and how to break into the music scene. The two men found their footing quickly and were hired by the famous band leader Paul Whiteman. Throughout the nineteen twenties, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra emerged as the most popular dance band of the time. One story goes that a few years after they joined the band, Bing and Mildred's mother paid her back. They orchestrated a way for her to host a party for Paul Whiteman and his band. There was food, homebrewed beer, and of course music. At one point, some of the players started urging Mildred to sing. Soon they all joined in. She acted demure, but eventually relented and started beltzing out of tune. Paul heard the music from the other room and just had to know who was singing. However, it actually happened. Mildred officially joined Paul Whiteman's orchestra in nineteen twenty nine, becoming one of the first featured female vocalists in a big band. It was a groundbreaking moment for women in jazz and paved the way for a generation of female singers. With Paul's orchestra, Mildred recorded hits like Georgia on My Mind and Rockin' Chair, and eventually became his highest paid musician. In nineteen thirty three, Mildred left the orchestra and married her third husband, Read Norvo. He was also a musician, and he was credited for bringing the xylophone into jazz. Red Norvo went on to lead his own orchestra, but it wasn't doing too well. Mildred offered to add her vocals, which ultimately brought along her popular airey and saved the band together. The couple moved to New York and recorded some of the most innovative and enduring jazz music of the era, including the song Smoke Dreams, Says My Heart, and Please Be Kind. Known as Mister and Missus Swing, they captivated audiences with their unique blend of smooth vocals and intricate instrumental arrangements, though they would later divorce. Mildred's final hit, Darn That Dream, ranked number one on the US Billboard Charts in nineteen forty. CBS even gave her her own radio program in nineteen forty four, while all the while she was struggling with diabetes, which led her to retire in nineteen forty nine. As her health deteriorated, performing became more of a sporadic thing for her. Towards the end of her life, Mildred was also broke. Friends and collaborators like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra would help her out financially at times. Her last appear pearance on Bing Crosby's radio show in nineteen fifty one helped cover her mortgage payment. In December of that same year, Mildred died of heart failure in Poughkeepsie, New York. In her short life, Mildred left an indelible mark on the world of jazz. Her unique vocal style and groundbreaking role as a singer helped shape the sound of swing and influence generations of performers. Though she faded from mainstream recognition in the years after her death, Mildred Bailey's legacy is kept alive by dedicated fans and musicians who recognize her immense contributions to American music. She was inducted into the Big Band in Jazz Hall of Fame in nineteen eighty nine, and more recently, the Cordelaine Tribe has made an effort to make Mildred's indigenous identity more prominently known and to lobby for her name to be added to the Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center. All month, we're talking about TIVAS. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast Special thanks to Liz and Jenny Kaplan for having me as a guest host. Talk to you tomorrow.