Lavinia Turner

Lavinia Turner (c. 1888 – after 1937)[5] was an American classic female blues singer. Originally a vaudeville vocalist, Turner recorded 10 songs in 1921 and 1922, making her one of the first female blues singers to be recorded.[6]

Lavinia Turner
Bornc. 1888
Virginia[1]
DiedAfter 1937
GenresClassic female blues[2]
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1921–1922
LabelsPathé Actuelle, Perfect,[3] Okeh Records[4]

Details of her life outside the recording studio are minimal.

Biography

Turner was born in Virginia, to parents from Virginia, around 1888. She was living in New York City, making her living as a performer, by 1920.[7][1][5]

Her first recordings, almost certainly in March 1921,[8] were of "How Many Times?" and "Can't Get Lovin' Blues", with piano accompaniment, possibly by Willie Gant.[9] It is thought that Clarence Williams played the piano on two of her other recordings.[9] Gus Aiken (trumpet) was also credited on recording sessions with Turner in 1921.[10] Turner was thus one of the first black women to sing blues on recordings, which were made in New York. However, also in 1921, other blues singers, such as Lillyn Brown, Lucille Hegamin, and Daisy Martin, all made records.[11] Six of Turner's sides, including "When the Rain Turns into Snow (Who's Gonna Keep You Warm)" and "Who'll Drive Your Blues Away",[12] were with piano accompaniment by James P. Johnson. They were originally issued on both Pathé Actuelle Records and Perfect Records.[13] At least two of her tracks were issued by Okeh Records.[4]

Two of the songs that Turner recorded, "Watch Me Go" and "He Took It Away from Me", were written by Roy Turk and J. Russel Robinson.[13]

Turner's brief recording career finished in October 1922.[3] In 1930, she was living as a widow in New York,[5] and may be the person of that name who made a Social Security application in 1937.[14]

Her work has appeared on various compilation albums, including Female Blues 1921–1928 (Document Records, 1997), which includes "When the Rain Turns into Snow (Who's Gonna Keep You Warm)" and "Who'll Drive Your Blues Away".[15] In 1994, Document Records issued an anthology incorporating all of her known recorded work, together with the later recordings of Virginia Liston.[16]

Discography
  • Virginia Liston, Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order, vol. 2 (1924–1926), with Lavinia Turner, Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order (1921–1922), Document Records, 2000.[16]

See also

References
  1. 1930 United States Federal Census
  2. "Lavinia Turner: Songs". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  3. "Mamie Smith: The First Lady of the Blues". Jas Obrecht Music Archive. Jasobrecht.com. 2010-06-07. Archived from the original on 2018-08-05. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  4. "Lavinia Turner, "How Can I Be Your Sweet Mamma When You Are Daddy to Somebody Else" / "Don't Cut Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face"". Discogs.com. 1923-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  5. Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 525. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  6. "Virginia Liston Vol. 2 (1924–1926), with Lavinia Turner (1921–1922)". Itunes.apple.com. 2000-09-07. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  7. 1920 United States Federal Census
  8. Cohen, Norm (2000). Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-252-06881-2.
  9. Gibbs, Craig Martin (20 December 2012). Black Recording Artists, 1877–1926: An Annotated Discography. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4766-0085-7.
  10. Franklin, Benjamin, V (30 May 2016). An Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues Musicians. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-61117-622-3.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. "Big Road Blues, Part 127". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  12. "Perfect 12039 78 RPM Record Lavinia Turner Blues". Popsike.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  13. "Lavinia Turner and James P. Johnson's Harmony Seven". Redhotjazz.com. 1921-02-09. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  14. "Lavinia Turner, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007. Provo, Utah". Ancestry.com. 2015. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  15. "Document Records Blues and Jazz Artists". Document-records.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  16. "Virginia Liston: Discography". AllMusic.com. 2000-09-07. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
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