MADLYN DAVIS

La cantante Madlyn Davis fue una  contemporánea de Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Alice Moore, Clara Smith, Mozelle Alderson, Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace y Bertha Chippie Hill.Solo hizo diez grabaciones, todas para el sello  Paramount en Chicago. Lo que la distinguió de algunas de sus colegas fue la voluntad de salir del estilo "slow drag "  intentando cambiar su tendencia co. Desafortunadamente, solamente en un  un par de sus registros documentan esta forma de cantar . Su primera sesión tuvo lugar en junio de 1927. En "Worried Down the Blues" y "Climbing Mountain Blues", estuvo acompañada por Red Hot Shakers, un cuarteto , según consta  que incluyó al pianista Cassino Simpson. En septiembre de 1927 grabó "Hurry Sundown Blues" y "Landlady's Footsteps" con un grupo similar, esta vez con los sonidos del kazoo y el silbido añadido . En noviembre de 1927 grabó  dos títulos con Hot Shots, un trío que incluía a Richard M. Jones. "Kokola Blues" usando  una fórmula que luego se haría popular como "Sweet Home Chicago". La otra cara, "Winter Blues", comienza sonando como un disco de Bessie Smith y estalla con una auténtica apotéosis en  su estribillo final, con Davis animando a sus músicos al estilo del propio  Louis Armstrong  , quien le tomó el reto y que tambien  sería comúnmente asociado a  Fats Waller & His Rhythm   . Si tenemos en  cuenta que este registro se hizo en 1927,  se puede comprobar claramente que usa la palabra "swing" cuando anima a la banda a soltarse. En octubre de 1928  grabó su ultimo disco con el pianista Georgia Tom Dorsey y el guitarrista Tampa Red con sus Hot Shots. El trío grabó  "Gold Tooth Mama Blues", "Death Bell Blues", "It's Red Hot" y "Too Black Bad", una canción que comparte el mismo título con un tono  diferente de Blind Lemon Jefferson. En "It's Red Hot",  conocida como Red Hot Shakin 'Davis, y se parece mucho a Bertha Chippie Hill en "Non Skid Tread" de Scrapper Blackwell. 

Madlyn Davis was an American classic female blues singer, active as a recording artist in the late 1920s. Among her best-known tracks are "Kokola Blues" and "It's Red Hot". She was a contemporary of better-known recording artists, such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Clara Smith, Mozelle Alderson, Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace, and Bertha "Chippie" Hill. Little is known of her life outside music.

Davis made ten recordings in Chicago for Paramount Records. Her first session took place in June 1927. With accompaniment from the Red Hot Shakers, who likely included Cassino Simpson on piano, Davis recorded "Worried Down with the Blues" and "Climbing Mountain Blues." She recorded "Hurry Sundown Blues" and "Landlady's Footsteps" in September of that year, followed by another two songs in November. Her backing trio now included Richard M. Jones, and "Kokola Blues" laid part of the foundations for the more famous song "Sweet Home Chicago." The refrain of "Kokola Blues" includes these lyrics:

And it's hey, hey baby, baby don't you want to go

Back to that eleven light city, back to sweet Kokomo 

The other track recorded at the same session was "Winter Blues", noteworthy for Davis's spoken exhortation to her musicians to "swing", as they duly increased the tempo of the song.

In October 1928, Davis had her final recording session, with backing by Georgia Tom Dorsey on piano and Tampa Red on guitar. They recorded four songs: "Gold Tooth Mama Blues," "Death Bell Blues," "Too Black Bad,"and "It's Red Hot." On the latter she was billed as Red Hot Shakin' Davis. However, her propensity to speed up the tempo on recordings did not continue, and she missed out on the subsequent development of swing and rhythm and blues, which may have better suited her style.

Two alternate versions of "Worried Down with the Blues" plus her "Hurry Sundown Blues," "Climbing Mountain Blues," "Landlady's Footsteps," "Winter Blues," and "Kokola Blues" were included on the compilation album Female Blues Singers, Vol. 5: C/D/E (1921–1928), released in 1997