Madlyn Davis facts for kids

Madlyn Davis was an American classic female blues singer. She recorded music in the late 1920s. She was famous for songs like "Kokola Blues" and "It's Red Hot." Madlyn sang around the same time as other famous blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. We don't know much about her life away from music.

Madlyn's Singing Career

Madlyn Davis recorded ten songs in Chicago for a company called Paramount Records. Her first recording session was in June 1927.

Early Recordings (1927)

For her first songs, Madlyn was joined by a group called the Red Hot Shakers. It's thought that Cassino Simpson played the piano. They recorded two songs: "Worried Down with the Blues" and "Climbing Mountain Blues."

Later that year, in September, she recorded "Hurry Sundown Blues" and "Landlady's Footsteps." In November, she recorded two more songs. This time, her backing trio included Richard M. Jones.

Her song "Kokola Blues" helped inspire parts of the more famous song "Sweet Home Chicago." In "Kokola Blues," Madlyn sings:

And it's hey, hey baby, baby don't you want to go
Back to that eleven light city, back to sweet Kokomo [sic]

Another song from that session was "Winter Blues." In this song, Madlyn tells her musicians to "swing." This made them play faster, which was very cool!

Final Recordings (1928)

Madlyn Davis had her last recording session in October 1928. She was joined by Georgia Tom Dorsey on piano and Tampa Red on guitar. They recorded four songs together:

• "Gold Tooth Mama Blues"
• "Death Bell Blues"
• "Too Black Bad"
• "It's Red Hot"

For the song "It's Red Hot," Madlyn was called "Red Hot Shakin' Davis." She liked to speed up the music in her songs. However, she didn't continue recording. This meant she missed out on the new styles of music that came next, like swing and rhythm and blues. These styles might have been a perfect fit for her!

Where to Hear Her Music

Some of Madlyn's songs were put on a special compilation album called Female Blues Singers, Vol. 5: C/D/E (1921–1928). This album was released in 1997 by Document Records. It included:

• Two different versions of "Worried Down with the Blues"
• "Hurry Sundown Blues"
• "Climbing Mountain Blues"
• "Landlady's Footsteps"
• "Winter Blues"
• "Kokola Blues"

See also

• List of classic female blues singers