BLAIR Sallie 1957


If beauty alone was enough to make a star, Sallie Blair would be a luminary of the brightest magnitude. [...] She pours every decibel of her fluid voice and every curve of her 117-lbs, 5'4" into her act. [...] As she warms to a number, she kicks off her shoes and works to a fevered, uninhibited vocal pitch that leaves her auditors breathless...
Part of the liner notes of "Hello Tiger!" funny writing but surely right when you see her!


She was part of the Porgy and Bess album for Bethlehem. Here with Johnny Otis.


Sallie BLAIR 1957 SQUEEZE ME

The list of the personnel is complicated. I post it with the file.

Sallie Blair began life as Sallie Bolling Mason in Baltimore [Hello PAM!]. She sort of drifted into music as a child -she notes "I guess the desire to sing was always with me". By the time she was ready to graduate from high school, she had already racked up some experience singing with local bands. Her first true professional break came when Johnny Otis featured her with his band. Subsequently, she sang with the aggregations of Illinois Jacquet and Duke Ellington. Deciding upon a solo career, Sallie landed a spot on the "Chance of a Lifetime" TV show, winning the program's thousand dollar prize several weeks in sucession. The feat landed her an engagement at the Vanity Fair in Miami, where her original two-week booking was quickly extend to nearly 5 months. From Vanity FAir, she went on to New York's Cafe Society and then the plush Boulevard in Queens. Cab Calloway signed her for his "Cotton Club Revue" and she spent seven months with that company in Miami Beach, several more in Vegas, with a sensational single engagement at Hollywood's Mocambo sandwiched in between. By the time she bowed out of 3Cotton Club" in the spring of 1957, Sallie was firmly established as a star of her own.

To be continued...

9 comments:

kiken said...

I would like to hear "Hello, Tiger!" Would you consider posting it near future?
Kiken

JUST ME said...

YES KIKEN. TO BE CONTINUED...

Anonymous said...

Another new name to me Daniel. What are you doing to me, man? Do I have to permanently give up my job and concentrate full time on listening to jazz? I think it is the only solution. :-)

Jim

afroquarius said...

Ohhhh....now I see why there's all these new posts---you're trying to tease us to death! But bad jokes aside, I find some music samples from AllMusic.com and her voice alone was better than the three stars they gave her album; any singer that can remind of Sarah "Sassy" Vaughan is someone who will immediately become a personal favorite of mine.

If I have to send an e-mail to get the link to download an album or two from this "enchantress"...so be it---just let me know.

Unknown said...

Yes Daniel--with great fun records like this I'd like to give up work too and listen to your music all day. (and I like my job !!!) This is a great listen---it has that wonderful campy 50's style ---with some fun swingy arrangements. Thanks again--Tom

JUST ME said...

AFROQUARIUS: READ PLEASE ! EVERYTHING IS EXPLAINED UP THERE... DANIEL

KenPaul66 said...

Daniel, I want to thank you for posting this rare album. I've seen it around for years but was never lucky enough to hear it. I listening to it while I write this & I really, really dig it. It's fun, bouncy and kinda sexy. Thanks again.

ken

soilworker said...

Great and rare album. Thanks!
I like the "Come by Sunday" version very much.

moxnix said...

listening to this , you wonder how she wasn't more of a star. hopefully, we can hear her other album some time in the future. thanks again , dan, for some extremely rare and fabulous music.