LOTTIE KIMBROUGH

Lottie Kimbrough (1900 – unknown) was an American country blues singer, who was also billed as Lottie Kimborough, Lottie Beaman, and Lena Kimbrough (amongst several others). Kimbrough was a large woman, and was nicknamed "the Kansas City Butterball". Her recording career lasted from 1924 to 1929, however Allmusic journalist Burgin Mathews stated "Kimbrough's vocal power, and the unique arrangements of several of her best pieces, rank her as one of the sizable talents of the 1920s blues tradition.

Kimbrough was born in West Bottoms, Kansas City, Missouri, and retained close links to her local community. She was managed by Winston Holmes, himself a local musician and music promoter. Her music career began in the early part of the 1920s, when she performed in Kansas City's nightclubs and speakeasys. In 1924 she undertook her first recording session at Paramount Records, where she was recorded alongside Ma Rainey. Her earliest recordings used the twins Milas (banjo) and Miles Pruitt (guitar), whilst she was later backed by Jimmy Blythe (piano). In 1925 she shared recording studio space with Papa Charlie Jackson. The same year she cut some tracks for the Holmes owned Merrit Records.

As time progressed, Kimbrough recorded and performed using a number of pseudonyms. Whilst she used her married name, Lottie Beaman, on almost half of her tracks, Holmes suggested for her 1926 recording sessions that she was renamed Lena Kimbrough. More pertinently her manager substituted a photograph of Kimbrough's more photogenic sister, Estella, for Lottie's publicity purposes.She also appeared billed as either Clara Cary or Mae Moran. She further recorded in Richmond, Indiana, and alternate namings were used for issues by Gennett, Champion (billed as Lottie Emerson), Supertone (as Lottie Brown) and Superior Records (as Martha Jackson).Her Gennett sessions included the tracks "Rolling Log Blues" and "Goin' Away Blues", which music journalist Tony Russell described as having "haunting beauty".

Kimbrough's brother Sylvester appeared with her in vaudeville, and in 1926 he supplied recording accompaniment with Paul Banks' Kansas City Trio. Nevertheless, it was Kimbrough's musical collaboration with Holmes which provided her better known recordings. Holmes supplied a series of yodels, and vocalised bird calls and train whistles on both "Lost Lover Blues" and "Wayward Girl Blues" (1928). Miles Pruitt was part of this recording and was a regular partner throughout Kimbrough's recording and concert career. He was featured again when Kimbrough recorded her final session in November 1929.

Her self-penned song "Rolling Log Blues" has subsequently been recorded by Jo Ann Kelly, Woody Mann, Son House, The Blues Band, Rory Block, Eric Bibb, Maria Muldaur, and Buffy Sainte-Marie.

                                   

                                                   
              

Although primarily known for its 1930s jazz scene, Kansas City was also home to a number of interesting prewar blues artists whose performing styles were completely unique to their region. Unfortunately, most of these musicians are largely forgotten today, even among many of the blues cognoscenti. Some of this may have to do with the fact that record companies who catered to the race market mostly ignored this Midwestern metropolis in the 1920s, leaving its musicians sadly under-recorded. Even companies such as Paramount, Brunswick, and Gennett who did see commercial potential in releasing blues sides from Kansas City required the musicians to travel to their studios in Chicago or Richmond, Indiana. The only recording sessions that apparently did occur in KC were conducted by the local Meritt label, whose discography is scant even by race records standards.