Katherine Henderson (singer)

For other people named Katherine Henderson, see Katherine Henderson (disambiguation).
Katherine Henderson
BornJune 23, 1909
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
DiedSeptember 1, 2002(2002-09-01) (aged 93)
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
GenresClassic female blues
OccupationSinger
InstrumentVocals
Years active1920s–1940s
LabelsBrunswick, QRS

Katherine Henderson (June 23, 1909[1] – September 1, 2002) was an American classic female blues singer.[2] Most of her recording sessions took place in Long Island City, New York City, in October and November 1928.[3]

Career

Henderson was born in St. Louis, Missouri.[4] She was the niece of Eva Taylor and Clarence Williams.[5]

As a child, she performed in minstrel shows and on the vaudeville circuit.[1] In the late 1920s, she recorded around ten songs, which were issued by Brunswick Records and QRS Records.[5] In 1927, she starred in Bottomland, an ill-fated New York–based stage musical written by Williams.[6] The show included the song "Take Your Black Bottom Dance Outside", which Henderson recorded.[7] In 1928, she married John Jackson.[8]

Henderson continued performing until 1944, long after her recording career was over.[5][8]

According to Derrick Stewart-Baxter, Henderson's vocal style was marred by "more than a suspicion of ham", as "she put her material across in a rather lachrymose manner".[9]

She was unrelated to Fletcher, Horace, Edmonia, and Rosa Henderson.

Selected discography

Year A-side
(Songwriter) 		B-side
(Songwriter) 		Notes
1927 "Baltimore"[10]
(Danni Healy, Irving Kahal, Jimmy McHugh) 		"Take Your Black Bottom Dance Outside"[10]
(Clarence Williams, Eddie Green) 		Accompanied by Clarence Williams's Blue Five[10]
1928 "West End Blues"[5]
(Clarence Williams, King Oliver) 		"Saint Louis Blues"[11]
(W. C. Handy) 		With Clarence Williams & His Orchestra[12]
1928 "Do It Baby"[4]
(Christine Yarian, Freddie Perren) 		"If You Like Me"[11]
(Spencer Williams, Clarence Williams, Fats Waller) 		With Clarence Williams & His Orchestra[13]
1928 "Lonesome Lovesick Blues"[11]
(Spencer Williams) 		"Have You Ever Felt That Way?"[11]
(Agnes Castleton, Spencer Williams) 		With Clarence Williams & His Orchestra[13]
1928 "What Can You Do Without Me?"[11]
(Edgar Dowell) 		"Mushy Love"[11]
(M. Medina, Edgar Dowell) 		With Clarence Williams & His Orchestra[13]

[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "June 23: On This Day in Black Music History". Wchbnewsdetroit.newsone.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  2. ^ Stewart-Baxter, Derrick (1970). Ma Rainey and the Classic Blues Singers. London: Studio Vista Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-289-79826-3.
  3. ^ "Katherine Henderson Accompanied by Clarence Williams and his Orchestra". Red Hot Jazz Archive. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  4. ^ a b c "Katherine Henderson: Songs". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  5. ^ a b c d "Blues Influence". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  6. ^ Wes, Sandra L.; Aberjhani (2003). Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 1-4381-3017-1.
  7. ^ "The Mainspring Press Record Collectors' Blog". 78records.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  8. ^ a b LeBlanc, Eric S.; Eagle, Bob (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 517. ISBN 978-0-313-34423-7.
  9. ^ Stewart-Baxter, Derrick (1970). Ma Rainey and the Classic Blues Singers. London: Studio Vista Books. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-289-79826-3.
  10. ^ a b c "Katherine Henderson Accompanied by Clarence Williams' Blue Five". Redhotjazz.com. Retrieved 2014-09-12.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Clarence Williams & the Blues Singers, vol. 2, 1927–1932". Document-records.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  12. ^ "Katherine Henderson with Clarence Williams & His Orchestra, "West End Blues", "St. Louis Blues" Images". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  13. ^ a b c "Historical Discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2014-09-13.