Elzadie Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elzadie Robinson
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| Birth name | Elzadie Wallace |
| Also known as | Bernice Drake Blanche Johnson Elzadie Henderson |
| Born | April 24, 1897 (or 1900) Logansport, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | January 17, 1975 (age 74–77) Flint, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Classic female blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1926–1929 |
| Labels | Paramount, Broadway |
Elzadie Robinson (born around 1897, died 1975) was an American blues singer and songwriter. She recorded many songs, about 34, between 1926 and 1929. What was special about her is that she wrote or helped write most of her own songs. This was not common for singers back then! We don't know much about her life when she wasn't recording music. Music experts say that Elzadie's voice got even better over time.
About Elzadie Robinson
Elzadie Robinson was born Elzadie Wallace in Logansport, Louisiana. She was born around 1897 or 1900.
She moved to Chicago to record her music. She lived there for some time after her recordings. She recorded songs from 1926 to 1929.
Her Music and Collaborations
Different piano players helped her with her songs. William Ezell was her most frequent piano player. Some of their famous songs include "Barrelhouse Man" and "Sawmill Blues". William Ezell wrote "Arkansas Mill Blues". This song talked about the hard life of working in a lumber camp.
Elzadie mainly recorded for Paramount Records. She also recorded some songs for Broadway Records. For these, she used the name Bernice Drake.
Sometimes, other musicians joined her recordings. These included the piano player Bob Call and the guitarist Johnny St. Cyr. On a few songs in 1926, B. T. Wingfield or Shirley Clay played the cornet. Tiny Parham or Richard M. Jones played the piano then. In 1928, she had Johnny Dodds on clarinet and Blind Blake on guitar. Either Jimmy Blythe on piano or Jimmy Bertrand on xylophone also played with her.
She used another stage name, Blanche Johnson, for two of her songs. These were "Galveston Blues" and "2:16 Blues".
Later Life
We don't know much about Elzadie's life after she stopped recording music. It is thought that she married Perry Henderson in Flint, Michigan, in 1928. She is believed to have passed away there in 1975.
In 1994, a company called Document Records released two collections of her music. These collections included all the songs she was known to have recorded.
See also
- List of classic female blues singers
