ALBERTA HUNTER

Biography

Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) was an American blues and jazz singer who rose from poverty in Memphis, Tennessee to become one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. She left home at age twelve to pursue singing in Chicago, where she performed in South Side clubs and bordello houses before landing her breakthrough engagement at the prestigious Dreamland Café in 1917, where she performed alongside King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Her career flourished throughout the 1920s and 1930s as she recorded prolifically for major labels including Paramount, Okeh, Victor, and Bluebird, becoming known for her vigorous, rhythmically infectious style and gift for improvising lyrics. She achieved international fame performing in Europe, appearing on Broadway, and recording with jazz legends including Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, and Sidney Bechet.

After decades of performing, Hunter made an unexpected career shift, working as a nurse for twenty years while making only two secret recordings during that period. In 1977, at age eighty-two, she triumphantly returned to the stage at The Cookery nightclub in Greenwich Village, launching a remarkable career revival that exceeded her earlier fame. This comeback led to four well-received albums, including the acclaimed Amtrak Blues (1978), performances at Carnegie Hall, and an appearance at the White House for President Jimmy Carter. Hunter continued performing until her death in 1984, leaving behind a legacy as a true jazz pioneer and survivor who demonstrated remarkable resilience and artistry across nearly seven decades.

Fun Facts

• In 1923, Alberta Hunter made history by becoming the first Black singer to record with an all-white band, the Original Memphis Five, breaking racial barriers in the recording industry.
• Hunter worked as a nurse for twenty years while secretly recording two albums during her nursing career (1961 and 1962), keeping her musical identity hidden from her nursing colleagues.
• Her comeback performance at The Cookery nightclub in Greenwich Village in 1977 was initially booked as a limited two-week engagement but became so successful that it extended into a six-year run, launching a career revival that exceeded her earlier fame.
• Hunter was the first to suggest that Columbia Records record King Oliver's band in 1923, but when she was unavailable to perform on the session, Columbia refused to record them without her.

Associated Acts

• Red Onion Jazz Babies (1924–1925)
• Alberta Hunter and Elkins‐Payne Jubilee Quartette - eponymous, original

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Tony Jackson - New Orleans piano professor who provided formal lessons and helped expand Hunter's repertoire and develop her musical style (Early repertoire development and composition training) [1913-1914]
• Lil Hardin - Pianist with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band at Dreamland Café; fellow Memphian who became a close friend and musical influence (Collaboration at Dreamland Café) [1917-1922]

Key Collaborators

• Fletcher Henderson - Pianist and bandleader who accompanied Hunter on numerous recordings and served as her initial collaborator in New York (Black Swan label recordings; Paramount recordings (1922)) [1921-1922]
• Louis Armstrong - Jazz trumpet legend with whom Hunter recorded and performed at Dreamland Café and on the Red Onion Jazz Babies sessions (Red Onion Jazz Babies session (1924) - Armstrong and Sidney Bechet's first recording together) [1917-1924]
• Sidney Bechet - Jazz soprano saxophonist who performed with Hunter at Dreamland Café and collaborated on the Red Onion Jazz Babies recordings (Red Onion Jazz Babies session (1924)) [1917-1924]
• Original Memphis Five - All-white jazz band with whom Hunter made history as the first Black singer to record with an all-white band (Recording session (1923)) [1923]
• King Oliver - Cornet player and bandleader whose Creole Jazz Band performed at Dreamland Café where Hunter was featured vocalist (Dreamland Café performances) [1917-1922]
• Fats Waller - Jazz pianist and composer with whom Hunter recorded during the 1920s-1930s era (Various recordings) [1920s-1930s]
• Duke Ellington - Jazz composer and bandleader with whom Hunter recorded during her prolific recording years (Various recordings) [1920s-1930s]
• Eubie Blake - Jazz pianist and composer with whom Hunter recorded during the classic blues era (Various recordings) [1920s-1930s]
• Gerald Cook - Pianist who accompanied Hunter during her 1981 career revival album (1981 album) [1981]
• Jimmy Lewis - Bassist who accompanied Hunter during her 1981 career revival album (1981 album) [1981]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #acoustic-blues, #blues, #piano-blues