Estelle Yancey
Estelle "Mama" Yancey ( born January 1, 1896 in Cairo, Illinois, † April 19, 1986 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American blues singer.
Life
She grew up in Chicago, where she sang in church choirs and learned to play the guitar. Here they laid the foundations of their soulful, expressive Gesangs.1917 she married the pianist Jimmy Yancey, with whom she performed in the following years in informal meetings, parties and House Rent in blues clubs of Chicago. Since her husband was not a particularly good singer, she went with him often into the recording studio. In 1951, she recorded her last album with her husband, who died soon after of a stroke.
Estelle Yancey, however, took further plates, so for Smithsonian Folkways Records, Verve, Evidence, and others. She also worked with other pianists such as Erwin helper.