<back - BIG MAYBELLE - When Big Maybelle growled 'You're Gonna Love Me' it was as much an order as an open invite to seduction. Born Maybelle Smith in 1924, and blessed with a dominating voice that complemented her wide girth, she could also draw tears eyes with her poignant phrasings. With an incredible range and towering vocals, few artists could dig as deep under your flesh. Had she ever locked musical horns with Howlin' Wolf, it would have been the musical equivalent of the splitting of the atom. Big Maybelle passed away from the effects of a diabetic coma at the age of only 48. She enjoyed considerable popularity for most of the 50's, but poor health made it impossible for her to perform on a regular basis. Her earliest recordings date to 1944.

Mostly with the Christine Chatman's Orchestra, but she wouldn't hit until 1953's half spoken and half sung Gabbin' Blues on Okeh. It's that rarest of novelty items, where humor is brilliantly juxtaposed with pathos. Cash Box once voted Big Maybelle the #3 female R&B singer--just behind Faye Adams and Dinah Washington. Big Maybelle soon became a major draw in Mid-West cities like Detroit, St. Louis, & Cincinatti, and she played the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958. Her career never hit the stratospheric heights her immense talents suggested, but there were some majestic releases on Okeh. That big-boned lady could belt out a soul blaster like nobody's business, proof being such raucous sides as So Good To My Baby and I've Got A Feeling but even they paled in comparison with the raunchy Jinny Mule. Stay Away From My Sam and Maybelle's Blues could raise goose bumps like a bucket of ice water. Still, her masterpiece has to be Rain Down Rain a spine-tingler that rightly should have made her as famous as Etta James. By the start of 1955, her days with Okeh were nearing an end, but her last several releases were reflective of a shift, both in direction and material. Pop-oriented tunes (You'll Never Know, You'll Be Sorry) were aimed at more mature audiences, with added artistic heft provided by Big Maybelle's rich inflections. Her final Okeh releases also gave her credibility as an out n' out Rock n' Roller, such as Don't Leave Poor Me, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show and 1955's Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. That session was also produced by Quincy Jones, and featured Mickey Baker on guitar. For inexplicable reasons, it never generated much commercial attention, but 2 years later Jerry Lee Lewis would turn it into a an all-time Rock n' Roll anthem. With the success of the crossover hit 'Candy', Savoy Records would release a bevy of pop-oriented items such as All of Me, and 'Until The Real Thing Comes Along' while keeping Big Maybelle's other foot firmly planted in groove-heavy R&B, with movers Tell Me Who, Ring Ding Dilly, and That's A Pretty Good Love.The rest of the 50's, Big Maybelle toured the USA with Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, and Lowell Fulson. -GT/ MP3 - Rain Down Rain | Whole Lotta Shakin' |