mildred bailey

Born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington, Bailey retained the last name of her first husband, Ted Bailey, when she moved to Seattle to bolster her singing career. With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues and jazz singer on the east coast. in 1925 she secured work for her brother, Al Rinker and his partner Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band 1929 to 1933. In 1929, Whiteman had a popular radio program and when Bailey debuted with her version of "Moaning Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate. Strangely, she didn't start recording with Whiteman until late 1931. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932, when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded an excellent series of records for Brunswick in 1933 (accompanied by the Dorsey Brothers) and a particularly excellent session with Benny Goodman's studio band in 1934. In the mid 1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing." During this period (from 1936-1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings featured members of Count Basie's band. Dispite her divorce from Red, she and her third husband would continue to record together in until 1945. Suffering from diabetes and depression, she only made a few recordings following the Second World War. She died in Poughkeepsie, New York of heart failure, which was chiefly due to her diabetes.Jazz vocal collectors consider her one of the best Jazz vocalists of her era. Despite being a very big woman, Bailey had a sweet, rather small yet very expressive voice and quite a unique vocal style.