More Info on Helen HumesSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Helen Humes| image =Helen_Humes.jpg| caption = Jazz singer Helen Humes at the Village Jazz Lounge in Walt Disney World | background = solo_singer| birth_name = Helen Humes| alias =| birth_date = birth date|1913|6|23| death_date = death date and age|1981|9|9|1913|6|23| origin = Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville , Kentucky , United States | instrument = Vocals | genre = Jazz , blues | occupation = Singer | years_active =| label =| associated_acts = Ellis Larkins | website =| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments = Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981)Allmusic|class=artist|id=p6779/biography|pure_url=yes Allmusic biography - accessed January 2008 was an United States|American jazz and blues singer .
Humes was successively a teenage blues singer, band vocalist with Count Basie , saucy Rhythm and blues|R& B diva and a mature interpreter of the classy popular song.cite book | first= Tony | last= Russell | year= 1997 | title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray | edition= | publisher= Carlton Books Limited | location= Dubai | pages= 120 | isbn= 1-85868-255-X
Career
Humes was born in Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville , Kentucky , United States , was spotted by the guitarist Sylvester Weaver and made her first recordings in 1927, her true young human voice|voice consorting oddly with bizarre material like "Garlic Blues".
She moved to New York City in 1937 and became a recording vocalist with Harry James ' big band . Her Swing (genre)|swing sound recording and reproduction|recordings with James included "Jubilee", "I Can Dream Can't I", Jimmy Dorsey 's composition " It's The Dreamer In Me ", and "Song of the Wanderer".
Humes became one of the vocalists with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1938, replacing Billie Holiday as lead female vocalist. http://www.womeninkentucky.com/site/music/humes.html Womeninkentucky.com - January 2008 Her vocals with Basie's band included " Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (song)|Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea " and " Moonlight Serenade ".
During the 1940s and 1950s, Humes became a solo (music)|solo performer and worked with different bands and other vocalists including Nat King Cole . She sounded very sprightly on the jump blues Be-Baba-Leba ( Aladdin Records|Philo , 1945) and Million Dollar Secret ( Modern Records|Modern , 1950).
In 1950 Humes recorded BennyCarter 's "Rock Me to Sleep". She managed to bridge the gap between big band jazz swing music|swing and rhythm and blues . She appeared on the bill at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1960.
She moved to Hawaii and then to Australia in 1964, returning to the US in 1967 to take care of her ailing mother. Humes was out of the music industry for several years but made a full comeback in 1973 at the Newport Jazz Festival ,Citation needed|date=March 2010 and stayed busy up until her death, performing all over Europe, for instance, including at the prestigious Nice Jazz Festival in the mid-1970s. She received the Music Industry of France Award in 1973, and the key to the city of Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville in 1975.cite book | last = Smith | first = Jessie Carney | authorlink = | coauthors = Shirelle Phelps | title = Notable Black American women | publisher = Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft | year = 1996 | location = | page = 310 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=ssMBzqrUpjwC | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0-8103-9177-2
Helen Humes died of cancer at the age of 68 in Santa Monica, California . She is buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery , Inglewood, California . http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi? page=gr& GRid=6842416 Find a Grave website
Discography
'' Midnight at Minton's - Don Byas - 1941
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 , 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 (album)|Helen , 1981
''The New Year's Eve , 1980
Awards
Hot Club of France Award for Best Album of 1973
Key to the City of Louisville, 1975, 1977
References
Reflist
External links
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p6779/biography|pure_url=yes Biography at Allmusic website
IMDb name|0401793
Find a Grave|6842416
Persondata| NAME = Humes, Helen | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States|American jazz and blues singer | DATE OF BIRTH = June 23, 1913 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville , Kentucky , United States | DATE OF DEATH = September 9, 1981 | PLACE OF DEATH = Santa Monica, California , United States DEFAULTSORT:Humes, Helen Category:1913 births Category:1981 deaths Category:American jazz singers Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Classic female blues singers Category:Contemporary Records artists Category:Deaths from cancer Category:Modern Records artists Category:Muse Records artists Category:People from Louisville, Kentucky Category:Savoy Records artists
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Copyright Citations
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