Alberta Hunter’s 'Downhearted Blues: Live At The Cookery'

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It's difficult to decide which was the most remarkable facet of pioneering blues chanteuse Alberta Hunter's incredible career. Was it her role in the vanguard of the "classic blues" movement of the early 1920s, when she recorded prolifically for Paramount and other labels during the industry's first foray into the idiom? Her entertainment of grateful U.S. troops during not one war, but two? Or her heartwarming late 1970s/early 1980s comeback on the New York cabaret circuit after more than two decades away from singing professionally, when she was well into her 80s? One fact is inescapable: when she died on October 17, 1984 in New York at age 89, Hunter was a genuine star once more.

In 1974, the singer had largely retired from music due to health concerns. But musical pursuits called once again when club owner Barney Josephson invited her to star for six weeks at the Cookery, his hip Greenwich Village cabaret, in October 1977. The live recording of a subsequent 1981 Cookery performance resulted in Downhearted Blues: Live at the Cookery, which will be released on both CD and 180-gram vinyl August 30, 2011 on RockBeat Records, a new label focused on quality reissues and new recordings by heritage artists, distributed by eOne Distribution. Musicologist Bill Dahl contributed liner notes. (The title was previously available on CD, but has been re-mastered and will now be available on CD and 180-gram vinyl for the first time.)

Born on April 1, 1895 in Memphis, Hunter was weaned on W.C. Handy's pioneering blues. By 16 she was in Chicago in the midst of a celebrated five-year residence at the city's Dreamland club, singing in front of King Oliver & His Creole Jazz Band with Louis Armstrong. Hunter made her recording debut in 1921 for Black Swan Records, one of the first black-owned labels, with "How Long, Sweet Daddy, How Long" b/w "Bring Back the Joys." From there she went to Paramount Records, cutting half a dozen sides including the original "Down Hearted Blues, " which she wrote with piano accompanist Lovie Austin and forcefully revisited on the 1981 live album. (Bessie Smith, the immortal Empress of the Blues, ended up scoring a bigger hit with the song in 1923.) Hunter continued to record prolifically for Paramount, backed by Fletcher Henderson and, on 1923's "Stingaree Blues, " Fats Waller.

Having conquered Chicago, Hunter moved to New York in 1923. She recorded for Gennett, OKeh, RCA Victor and Columbia. During this time she ventured to jazz-obsessed France in 1927, where she co-starred with Paul Robeson in a production of Showboat and recorded into the '30s for HMV. When she returned to the U.S., she recorded for ARC, Decca and Bluebird. She hosted a radio program in the '30s and Broadway welcomed her back in 1939, when she shared the stage with Ethel Waters in Mamba's Daughters. When World War II broke out, Hunter boldly served her country in the USO, entertaining troops across the globe. She continued into the Korean conflict.

There were scattered post-war sessions. But when her beloved mother died in 1954 and after starring in a Broadway flop, Hunter bowed out of performing to train as a nurse. Upon graduation in 1957 at age 62 — an age at which many folks contemplate retirement — she began a new career at a New York hospital. Other than recording a couple of Chris Albertson-produced LPs cut two weeks apart in 1961 (Songs We Taught Your Mother, a set for Prestige Bluesville also featuring Victoria Spivey and Lucille Hegamin) and Chicago: The Living Legends for Riverside, she kept a determinedly low profile for more than two decades — afraid the hospital would learn how far past mandatory retirement age she was and let her go.

In 1974, Hunter was forced out of her job by hospital regulations. It was October 1977 when Cookery's Josephson invited her to headline his room. Next, legendary A&R man John Hammond cut an album's worth of her classics (with a few new ones) for the Columbia soundtrack of director Alan Rudolph's 1978 film Remember My Name. Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas invited her to brighten their TV talkfests, 60 Minutes profiled her, and Columbia recorded three more albums.

The live recordings that form Downhearted Blues: Live at the Cookery are from one of her many triumphant evenings at the club. Her sense of swing and theatricality remained impeccable, with longtime pianist and arranger Gerald Cook and sturdy upright bassist Jimmy Lewis providing sterling accompaniment. Hunter glided through saucy double-entendre-loaded numbers ("Handy Man, " "Two-Fisted Workin' Man"), time-honored standards (a rip-roaring "I Got Rhythm, " the tender "Georgia On My Mind"), and the touching ballads "The Love I Have From You" (from Remember My Name) and "You're Welcome To Come Back Home."

About RockBeat Records:
Arny Schorr, president of S'more Entertainment, Inc., proud purveyors of classic TV, cult films, long-form music and unique special interest programming, has announced the formation of Rockbeat Records, a new audio label dedicated to the release of enhanced CDs and vinyl and the creation of reissues and compilations on a variety of music genres. James Austin, previously Vice President of A&R at Rhino Records, has joined the company in the capacity of Vice President of A&R, overseeing the acquisition and development of all audio releases for the new label. S'more Entertainment and RockBeat have entered into an exclusive distribution license with eOne Entertainment for distribution for the company's CD, vinyl and DVD product mix, as well as for digital distribution.

Another recent RockBeat title worth noting:
The Blasters Live 1986, never previously available, was released May 31 by RockBeat Records and features the legendary American music band's original lineup (Phil Alvin, guitar, vocals and harmonica; Dave Alvin, lead guitar; John Bazz, bass; and Bill Bateman, drums). The pride of Downey, Calif. formed in 1979, a brash quartet who absorbed the roots of American music, having witnessed Big Joe Turner play L.A. as well as Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and other blues and R&B acts in venues varied from the Ash Grove to the city's Central Avenue scene. As the band moved from indie rockabilly label Rollin' Rock Records to its longtime home of Slash Records, Dave Alvin emerged a key songwriter, contributing such classics as "Marie Marie" and "Border Radio." By 1986, Dave was playing his final shows with the Blasters, preparing first to join X and embark on a critically acclaimed solo career. The February 14, 1986 show at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano was recorded and recently received its release some 25 years later as The Blasters Live 1986 on RockBeat Records. Included are "American Music, " "Border Radio, " "Marie Marie, " the Dave Alvin/John Doe co-write "Just Another Sunday, " and blues standards "Mystery Train, " "Off the Wall" and more.

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