VJM's Jazz & Blues Mart regularly publishes articles, reviews
and original research by leading jazz and blues writers and discographers. We also
actively encourage research and solicit submissions for inclusion in VJM - if you're researching or have written
material and would like to see it published, please contact
us!
Here is a sample article from the current issue, plus links to
our extensive archive of high quality articles from previous issues (go
to foot of page).
Some
45 years ago I wrote a note in ‘Jazz Records’ against the April 27, 1927 session
by Clarence Williams' Blue Five Orchestra at which session they recorded
Baltimore/Take Your Black Bottom Outside, to the effect that Eva Taylor
was actually the vocalist on these sides. The female voice on Brunswick 7017-A
(take 61) is attributed to Kath.[sic] Henderson, so is Brunswick 7017-B (take
57). Brunswick 3664, using take 62 for Baltimore,has the same band
credit with only 'Vocal Chorus' on the label. Why did I write 'Eva Taylor??'
behind Katherine Henderson's name? Let us go back to 1967/1968, when Storyville
editor Laurie Wright first mentioned that the name of Catherine/Katherine
Henderson was used for at least three different singers (Storyville # 14,
p.166)). In an interview in Storyville # 16 Eva Taylor states: 'Katherine was my
niece..., her voice is rather like mine'. She, also says: 'She did make some
records with Clarence'. Referring to the QRS sides she also says '...she only
made just those few sides'. There is no mention of the Vocalion/Brunswick sides!
Laurie obviously did not play the Baltimore
session to Eva Taylor, otherwise they should have noticed that the QRS sides
with Katherine Henderson have a quite different vocalist to the Brunswicks! As I
have no faith in the fidelity of LP or CD dubbed recordings, only now, after I
obtained a copy of QRS 7041, can I tell what I think. Eva's statement that her
niece's voice was very similar to hers cannot be confirmed after having compared
QRS R 7041 (Katherine Henderson) and OKeh 8665 (Eva Taylor). As the recording
dates are very close together the style and interpretation of each singer can
easily be discerned. Put both I'm Busy And You Can't Come In (Co
14632-D) and What Can You Do Without Me (QRS R.7054, Frog CD DGF
48) on your turntable and you can hear the difference. Even a part of the lyrics
of Do It, Baby (Katherine Henderson) and Shim Sham Shimmy
Dance (ET): "twist and squirm like a worm' are sung in such a different
manner that there's no question who is who! Katherine Henderson indeed is more
of a vaudeville singer than a blues singer (since when was Eva Taylor
anything but a vaudeville blues singer? Ed) and in fact cannot be mistaken
for Eva Taylor.
The Brunswick recording date was very close to the rehearsals
of Clarence Williams' ill-fated musical show BOTTOMLAND, with both Eva Taylor
and Katherine Henderson having roles in the production as singers (the
Chicago Defender of March 12, 1927 reported that '... Katherine Henderson is
expected to be placed in one of the Broadway shows in the near future'). The
New York Times of June 28, 1927, reported the opening of BOTTOMLAND at the
Princess Theatre on June, 25. Eva Taylor acted as May Mandy Lee and Katherine
Henderson as Tough Tilly. It is thus possible that Clarence Williams promised
the Brunswick session to Katherine Henderson as vocalist. For reasons lost in
the mists of time (illness, perhaps?) Clarence may have asked Eva to record the
session instead of Katherine, but as the recording sheets and the labels were
already prepared and printed, they did not change the files (see Bill Triggs #
24, with vocal credit as on the label). But if the singer on the Brunswicks is
Katherine Henderson we now have four singers of that name.
I
am firmly convinced that Eva Taylor is the singer on the Brunswick session.
What's your opinion?
The Editor writes: I’m not convinced by Bernhard’s theories;
the idea of record companies pre-printing recording ledger entries and record
labels is far-fetched to say the least. Why would a company go the expense of
producing relatively expensive two-color labels without even knowing that
acceptable masters had been recorded?
However, I feel that the greatest argument against Bernhard’s
theory are the records themselves. I’ve listened carefully to the tracks
mentioned, along with the four tracks recorded under Katherine Henderson’s name
on QRS (all the QRS sides are available in stunning sound quality on Frog CDs
DGF 48 and 49) and, despite the higher fidelity of the Brunswicks, I hear no
discernible difference between the voice on the QRS sides and the Brunswick
titles. I admit there are a number of similarities between the two singers, but
Katherine Henderson has a more dramatic delivery than Eva Taylor, who in
comparison has a more ‘personal’, less ‘stagey’ style of delivery. In fact the
track Bernhard offers for comparison, What Can You Do Without Me is
overly dramatic, verging on an impression of Ted Lewis at his most tragedian! In
comparison Katherine Henderson’s Have You Ever Felt That Way bears
remarkable similarities to the singing on the Brunswicks. The fact that, even by
Eva’s admission, she and Katherine Henderson sounded similar, I think there is
sufficient difference to separate them. The reason of course for the difference
in the way the words "twist and squirm like a aworm" is that two different
singers are involved!
Perhaps readers would like to send in their comments, direct
to VJM’s Editorial address or by email.
Some
45 years ago I wrote a note in ‘Jazz Records’ against the April 27, 1927 session
by Clarence Williams' Blue Five Orchestra at which session they recorded
Baltimore/Take Your Black Bottom Outside, to the effect that Eva Taylor
was actually the vocalist on these sides. The female voice on Brunswick 7017-A
(take 61) is attributed to Kath.[sic] Henderson, so is Brunswick 7017-B (take
57). Brunswick 3664, using take 62 for Baltimore,has the same band
credit with only 'Vocal Chorus' on the label. Why did I write 'Eva Taylor??'
behind Katherine Henderson's name? Let us go back to 1967/1968, when Storyville
editor Laurie Wright first mentioned that the name of Catherine/Katherine
Henderson was used for at least three different singers (Storyville # 14,
p.166)). In an interview in Storyville # 16 Eva Taylor states: 'Katherine was my
niece..., her voice is rather like mine'. She, also says: 'She did make some
records with Clarence'. Referring to the QRS sides she also says '...she only
made just those few sides'. There is no mention of the Vocalion/Brunswick sides!
I
am firmly convinced that Eva Taylor is the singer on the Brunswick session.
What's your opinion?