Viola Bartlette

Viola Bartlette was an American blues singer ^[1] and actress, ^[2] who recorded on Black Swan Records and Paramount Records. She was from Baltimore. ^[3] Bartlette recorded under the pseudonym Ida Lewis for Silvertone Records. ^[4]

She often was a backup singer for Lovie Austin ^[5] and accompanied Lovie Austin's Blue Serenaders band and Blythe's Sinful Five on records. ^[6] Johnny Dodds accompanied Bartlette on recordings made in the 1920s. Clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant backed her on session recordings during 1923 to 1926. She also recorded with Kid Ory. ^[1]

Discography

• "Tennessee Blues" (1925) ^[7]
• "Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night" (1925) by Lovie Austin's Blue Serenaders ^{[6] [8]}
• "Walk Easy 'Cause My Papa's Here" (1926), by Viola Bartlette with Cobb's Paramount Syncopators, Paramount ^[9]
• "Shake That Thing" (1926) written by Papa Charlie Jackson ^{[8] [10]}
• "Anna Mina Forty And St. Louis Shorty" (1926) by Jimmy Blythe / Blythe's Sinful Five ^[6]
• "Quit Knocking on My Door" (1926) by Blythe's Sinful Five ^[6]
• "Sunday Morning Blues" (1926) ^[9]
• "You Don't Mean Me No Good" (1926) ^[9]
• "Out Bound Train Blues" (1926) ^[9]
• "You Can Never Tell When Your Perfectly Good Man Will Do" (1926) by Viola Bartlette with Punch Miller ^[11]

References

1. Yanow, Scott (2001). Classic Jazz. Backbeat Books. pp. 68, 176. ISBN   978-0-87930-659-5 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
2. "Local Girl Recording". Baltimore Afro-American. September 11, 1926. p. 5. ProQuest   530641570 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
3. Currin, Grayson (November 22, 2013). "Various Artists: The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-1932)". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
4. Sutton, Allan (1993). A Guide to pseudonyms on American records, 1892-1942. Greenwood Press. p. 29. ISBN   978-0-313-29060-2 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
5. The Harlem Renaissance: a historical dictionary for the era. Greenwood Press. 1984. ISBN   978-0-313-23232-9 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
6. Dixon, Robert M. W. (1982). Blues & gospel records, 1902-1943. Storyville Publications. p. 61. ISBN   978-0-902391-03-1 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
7. Eagle, Bob (2004). "Directory of African-Appalachian Musicians" . Black Music Research Journal. 24 (1): 50. doi:10.2307/4145499. ISSN   0276-3605. JSTOR   4145499 . Retrieved November 1, 2020.
8. "Stomp Off Records Index" (PDF). Stompoff.dickbaker.org. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
9. "Illustrated Blind Blake discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
10. Nick Tosches (1 August 2009). Where Dead Voices Gather. Little, Brown. p. 89. ISBN   978-0-316-07714-9.
11. "Illustrated Herwin Records discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved June 15, 2023.