Helen Humes

Helen Humes (* June 23, 1913 in Louisville, Kentucky; † 9 September 1981 in Santa Monica, California ) was an American jazz and blues singer.

Helen Humes got her talent, so to speak already of their parents, who often sang in a duet in her church, in the cradle. 1927 already accompanied Sylvester Weaver in some of his last recordings. In 1937 she moved to Albany and became a singer in the big band of Harry James. With him she took, among other things, the title Jubilee, I Can Dream Can not I and That's The Dreamer In Me on. She also worked in the late 1930's with the big- band leader Count Basie, who had discovered the Cotton Club in Cincinnati. He invited them to succeed by Billie Holiday in his band. One of her biggest hits from this period was Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea.

In the '40s and '50s, now in California, Helen Humes worked with various bands and other blues and jazz artists, including Nat King Cole and recorded some records for Discovery. One of her successes from this period is Be - baba - leba. 1950 Hume sang Benny Carter's Rock Me to Sleep and made it so, the gap between the "Big Band Jazz Swing" and the Rhythm and Blues a bridge.

As Hume's mother died in 1973, she sold all her records and her piano and no longer wanted to sing. Stanley Dance, a music critic, she could be persuaded to act together with Count Basie at the Newport Jazz Festival 1973. But it was only in the late 70s, she continued her career. She lived for some time in Hawaii and Australia before moving to Santa Monica, California, where she died in 1981.

Discography

  • Helen Humes, 1959
  • Tain't nobody's biz -ness if I do, 1959
  • Songs I like to sing, 1960
  • Swingin 'with Humes, 1961
  • Helen comes back in 1973
  • Let the good times roll, 1973
  • Sneakin 'around 1974
  • On the sunny side of the street (live ), 1974
  • Helen Humes, 1974
  • Talk of the town, 1975
  • Helen Humes with Red Norvo and his orchestra, 1975
  • Deed I do (live ), 1976
  • Helen Humes and the Muse All Stars, 1979
  • Helen, 1980
  • The New Year's Eve, 1980
Louisville (Kentucky) September 9 Discovery Records Integrated Authority File
383617
de