Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting blues vocalist..., February 25, 2000
By A Customer
Not to controdict other review, but Blanche Callaway was not the 1st female leader of an all male band(remember Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds with the 1920 hit "Crazy Blues") Mamie Smith had her jazz hounds from 1920 to through the late 20's. Anyhow this is a very interesting CD which features some pleasant but rough vocals by Blanche Calloway(older sister of Cab). Blanche Calloaway is actually more famous for managing 1950's R&B singer Ruth Brown's career. Still jazz and blues collectors should get this CD for some good blues singing, and for the musicians(Louis Armstrong being one of them) in her hot band.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blanche Calloway Forget Cab Calloway., February 3, 2004
Blanche Calloway is number one. This girl can sing. I read she was as energetic, vivacious, electrifying performer. You can hear it through these recordings. You can just close your eyes and imagine. When you see Cab Calloway perform your really seeing Blanche. Blanche Calloway was beautiful and extremely talented. I have to say she could out sing Bessie Smith. Blanche really let you know what she was singing. Blanche could do anything with her voice be raunchy, gosepel, blues, jazz, sometimes she makes her voice comical it seems she wants to make people laugh. Singers today need to listen to her. She was a whole different type of performer then the rest of the black females of her time. She was beautiful and talented. She introduced new type of Black Entertainment- beauty, vivacious, free-spirited, fun-loving performer- she wasn't homely or stereotypical. Blanche could take the saddest song and make it happy. She was the first to make a successful transition from blues to jazz to popular songs. Blanche wasn't a primary jazz singers, she sung it all. Blanche faced a lot of discrimination within her own race because she was a woman bandleader, even though she proved she could swing and jazz just as good as the guys, she never was taken seriously, of course, if she was a man she would be talked about all the time- Jazz History today still don't pay her much attention, but people are getting into her music. In the 1930s Blanche band was one of the top Black bands. Blanche was the first SUCCESSFUL female bandleader. She also wrote a few songs that she entertained with the band. Blanche wasn't just another female leading a band, she really took that job seriously. Even though Blanche was discriminated, she did open the doors for other female bandleaders and all girl bands- white and black. Blanche was a big star before her brother and after him. She taught him everything that made him famous. People back then rather have an electrifying male performer then a woman, so when Cab arrived, they put him over her. I'm sorry I never was able to like Cab Calloway, he was talented but he never appeal to me. Now Blanche does. There's no known footage of Blanche. I'm surprised by that. Her brother Cab Calloway was always recorded. I guess they intimidated by a tremedous performer like Blanche Calloway who could perform like a man. If you weren't willing to stand glamourous and sing a song, they didn't want to see females too hot. No one from Blanche generataion forgot her. They always gave her credit and always found Blanche better then Cab. Blanche was a remarkable woman not just in music but in life. If you would like to find out more about Blanche check out my website http://www.geocities.com/nina_mae_mckinney and on the left side its a biography on Blanche and other forgotten Black talent.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent CD of Blanche Calloway's recordings., June 13, 1998
This Chronogical Classics CD has the best and largest collection of Blanche Calloway's recordings available. Blanche Calloway was the first female bandleader of an all-male band. Like her younger brother Cab Calloway, Blanche was a high-energy performer with a compelling vocal style. She was rougher and wilder than Cab, and her subject matter was raunchier than Cab's tended to be. She is one of our favorite jazz/blues vocalists/bandleaders. She has such a powerful presence that when we play this CD, we feel as if she is right there in the room with us.Blanche deserves more recognition than she gets! This CD includes excellent liner notes and a couple of beautiful photographs of Blanche. It also happens to include the earliest recordings of Ben Webster. You can find more Blanche Calloway and also more Billy Massey (her male vocalist) on the Andy Kirk (1929-1931) Chronogical Classics CD.
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by Blanche Calloway & Her Joy Boys 
