Mae Glover facts for kids

Mae Glover (born September 9, 1906 – died March 27, 1985) was an American country blues singer. She had a long career and recorded music using many different names. She also performed often in her home city, Memphis, where people called her "the Mother of Beale Street."

About Mae Glover

Early Life and Traveling Shows

Mae Glover was born as Lillie Mary Hardison in Columbia, Tennessee, United States. When she was very young, her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In 1920, at just 13 years old, she ran away from home to join the Tom Simpson Traveling Medicine Show.

In an interview in 1982, Glover explained why she left. She said, "I wanted to sing the blues, but my father was a pastor." At that time, blues music was sometimes seen as "dirty music." She felt that staying in Nashville would have been a "disgrace" for her family.

Glover traveled with many different tent and sideshows. These included famous groups like the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, the Bronze Mannequins, and Harlem in Havana. She performed as a blues singer or a comedian.

Settling in Memphis and Recording Music

By 1928, Mae Glover stopped traveling and settled down in Memphis, Tennessee. She married a cook named Willie Glover. She became a regular performer on Beale Street, a famous street in Memphis known for its music. Because she performed there so often, she earned the nickname "the Mother of Beale Street."

Her first recordings happened in April 1927. She used the name May Armstrong and recorded six songs in Memphis for the Gennett label. Later that year, she recorded more songs as Side Wheel Sally Duffie. In July 1929, she recorded four songs simply as Mae Glover.

She recorded "Forty Four Blues" in 1931. This song was released on different labels, sometimes under the name Mae Muff.

Later Career and Recognition

Glover also performed live at many places in Memphis. These included the Peabody Hotel and the Manhattan Club. After her idol, Ma Rainey, passed away in 1939, Glover often performed as Ma Rainey II.

She continued to perform on stage but did not record music again until 1953. At that time, she recorded two songs for Sun Records, using the name "Big Memphis Ma Rainey." Over the years, she used many different names for her recordings and performances.

In the 1970s, Mae Glover started performing again. She sang by herself and with a group called the Memphis Blues Caravan. She also helped record an album called Memories of Beale Street. Around this time, a restaurant owner hired her to sing with the Blues Alley All Stars. She became very popular for her lively songs and funny stories.

Mae Glover received several important awards. In 1977, she got the Beale Street Music Festival Award. Two years later, she received 'Tennessee's Outstanding Achievement Award'. In 1981, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Music and Entertainment in Chicago.

Final Years

Mae Glover had heart surgery, but she kept performing even when her health was not good. She needed more hospital treatment. After leaving the hospital in December 1984, she moved to Iuka, Mississippi, to stay with a friend.

Mae Glover passed away in Tishomingo County Hospital in Iuka, Mississippi, on March 27, 1985. She was 78 years old. She was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Discography

Compilation Albums

These are albums that collect songs recorded earlier.