Lottie Kimbrough

Biography

Lottie Kimbrough (born 1893 or 1900; date of death unknown) was an American country blues singer who became known as "The Kansas City Butterball," a nickname referencing her size.[1] Born in either Jonesboro, Arkansas, or West Bottoms, Kansas City, Missouri, Kimbrough developed close ties to the Kansas City blues community.[1] She began her music career in the early 1920s, performing in nightclubs and speakeasies throughout Kansas City while also touring the black vaudeville circuits with her brother Sylvester.[4] Her recording career, which lasted from 1924 to 1929, established her as a significant figure in the 1920s blues tradition, with music journalist Burgin Mathews noting that "Kimbrough's vocal power, and the unique arrangements of several of her best pieces, rank her as one of the sizable talents of the 1920s blues tradition."[1]

Kimbrough's professional life was characterized by complexity and obscurity. She performed and recorded under numerous names—including Lottie Beaman (her married name), Lottie Mitchell, Clara Cary, Mae Moran, Lena Kimbrough, Lottie Brown, Lottie Emerson, Martha Jackson, and Jennie Brooks—making her historical record difficult to trace.[1][4] Her manager and frequent collaborator Winston Holmes was likely responsible for many of these pseudonyms, which were used across various record labels including Paramount, Merritt, Gennett, Champion, Supertone, and Superior Records.[1][3] Her musical style blended country blues with hillmark elements such as yodeling and banjo playing, distinguishing her from purely traditional blues artists.[2] By the 1930s, her recording career had ended, and very little is known about the remainder of her life.

Fun Facts

• Kimbrough recorded under at least a dozen different names across multiple record labels, including Clara Cary, Mae Moran, Lottie Brown, Lottie Emerson, Martha Jackson, and Jennie Brooks, making her discography extremely difficult to trace and contributing to her obscurity in music history.[1][4]
• Her best-known recordings, "Rolling Log Blues" and "Goin' Away Blues," were described by music journalist Tony Russell as having "haunting beauty" and have been frequently covered by other artists.[1][4]
• She was nicknamed "The Kansas City Butterball" due to her large size, and this nickname has persisted in music historical references.[1][2]
• In addition to her blues recordings, Kimbrough and her manager Winston Holmes also recorded gospel music with the congregation of a local minister named Rev. B.L. Wrightman, demonstrating the spiritual dimensions of her musical practice.[3]

Musical Connections

Key Collaborators

• Winston Holmes - Manager and musical collaborator who provided vocalizations including yodeling, bird calls, and train whistles on her recordings; likely responsible for creating pseudonyms used across different record labels (Lost Lover Blues, Wayward Girl Blues (1928), gospel recordings with Rev. B.L. Wrightman's congregation) [1920s]
• Millus and Myles Pruitt - Twin musicians who provided early accompaniment on banjo and guitar respectively; Myles Pruitt was a regular partner throughout Kimbrough's recording and concert career (Early recordings (1924-1925), final recording session (November 1929)) [1924-1929]
• Jimmy Blythe - Pianist who provided accompaniment on later recordings (Various recordings) [mid-1920s]
• Sylvester Kimbrough - Her brother, who appeared with her in vaudeville and provided recording accompaniment (Vaudeville performances, duo recordings) [1920s]
• Ma Rainey - Shared first recording session at Paramount Records in 1924 (Paramount Records session) [1924]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #country-blues