Customer Reviews

Blues Candy & Big Maybelle

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Big Maybelle was a true original, she was an inspiration for both Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin, two of the greatest female blues singers ever, and she holds her own. In fact, there are two songs here that Aretha recorded later on, "SXo LOng" (2 versions) and "Ramblin", which, I bleieve are on Aretha's "Soul 69" album (and if you don't have that one, run out and get it TODAY)

Big Maybelle had a blistering delivery- matched by no one then or now. A must for any 1950s rhythm and blues fan, she could belt it out and tear it up and yet be sensitive. Check out her only film appearance in "Jazz on a Summer's Day" 1958 Newport Jazz festival. A shame no live recording was ever waxed. A truly unique performer whose life was tragically cut short, passing away in the early 1970s. "Pitiful" is one of my faves.

This is a great album and a must have for any collector! I have a original copy of this album on vinyl and treasure it!

This is one of my favorite CDs. What a GREAT gift of a singing voice! Big Maybelle can belt out the tunes whether fast or slow, with such nuance and beauty. Buy this!

My favorites are "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "How It Lies". Makes you feel like the guy is gonna be in real trouble once they run into Big Maybelle :) She is fabulous.

The greatest of the blues "shouters", Big Maybelle Smith shows why she was a legend on this recording. Especially fine are the songs "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good".

If you have only heard Big Maybelle sing Candy you are missing out on an experience of a lifetime. She teaches a life lesson with every note she sings. A truly rare and incredible recording.They don't make them like this anymore.

this album has some great jazz to swing around the house when you are in a down mood.

I sent a friend three Big Maybelle cd's, here's an email that arrived today: "Dan, I am in love with Big Maybelle! Tell me her history. I play the discs all the time-----------thank you so much-----------B"

Here's my review of Very Best of Big Maybelle. If you've ever been or ever hope to be in love, you need everything Big Maybelle cut as a reference point. This review applies to everything she cut:

Big Maybelle Smith was ... 300+ pounds. Aretha writes in her autobiography of seeing Maybelle in New Orleans "...with her little-bitty boyfriend." Imagine you're in a small club in Chicago, 2 in the morning, snowing outside, booze, tears, smoke and lost love permeating the place ... and a huge woman singing from the depths of her soul, a place so dark and deep there ought to be a warning label on the cd: Don't listen to this when you're seriously depressed! In the decades since I discovered her I've wondered if Maybelle's voice was a result of her heroin and other addictions, or were the addictions a result of her inner-soul and that voice. "I Don't Know What To Do With Myself" is her song, forget Dionne Warwick. "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" and "That's All" ... they get my vote as the most wonderful songs ever for humans in love. And "I Will Never Turn My Back On You." That's the track that Torch Song Trilogy (the play, not the movie) used at it's end ... it's one thing to say you 'love' somebody, it's quite another to promise you'll never turn your back on them. "Oh Lord, What Are You Doing to Me" showcases that mammoth voice that soars one second and hits rock bottom the next. Maybelle died in Ohio after being in a diabetic coma for two years ... she wasn't yet 50. Listen to this (and other) Big Maybelle, you'll hear every tragedy and heartache a human can endure. I've given dozens of cd's of this collection, invariably, the comment is "How could I have gotten this old without ever hearing about her?" Now. You've heard about her. Go buy the collections! It's a tragedy she never found the fame and fortune her talent deserves. You might even buy a couple extra copies, you'll have friends you want to share them with.
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See above for confirmation! Stop procrastinating. One-Click. You don't have to send me a thank-you. <g>

One of the greatest voices in blues and R&B, but unfortunately one of the least remembered. If you love raw vocals and the groove that is only the Blues as delivered by a powerful and also delicate voice, get yourself Big Maybelle.