Maxine Sullivan

Biography

Maxine Sullivan, born Marietta Williams on May 13, 1911, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, began her musical journey in her family's informal 'front porch orchestra,' where she sang and learned to play trumpet, valve trombone, and flugelhorn. She started professionally singing with her uncle's band, The Red Hot Peppers, and was discovered in the mid-1930s by Gladys Mosier, leading to introductions with pianist Claude Thornhill and her first recordings in 1937. Her breakthrough hit was a swinging version of the Scottish folk song 'Loch Lomond,' which defined her light, swinging style of jazz-infused folk tunes and propelled her to stardom, including appearances in films like Going Places (1938) with Louis Armstrong and stage roles such as Swingin’ the Dream (1939).[1][2][4]

Throughout the 1940s, Sullivan performed with bands led by her second husband John Kirby, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, and Jimmie Lunceford, and co-headlined the pioneering CBS radio show Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm (1940-1941), one of the first nationally syndicated programs starring African American jazz artists. After pauses to work as a nurse and focus on family and community in the Bronx, she resumed performing in 1966 with her fourth husband Cliff Jackson and groups like the World's Greatest Jazz Band, continuing into the 1980s with albums such as Maxine (1982) and Sings the Music of Burton Lane (1985), earning Grammy nominations and a Tony nomination for My Old Friends (1979).[1][2][3]

Known for her gentle swing style and longevity spanning over 50 years, Sullivan influenced vocalists like Peggy Lee and preceded Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan as a top 1930s jazz singer. She blended jazz with folk arrangements, performed at iconic venues like the Village Vanguard, and remained active until her death on April 7, 1987, leaving a legacy as 'The Queen' of jazz vocals.[1][2][4]

Fun Facts

• Sullivan was the only singer in her Pennsylvania hometown as a teen, sitting in with local bands while playing trumpet and valve trombone, and occasionally flugelhorn with her uncle's Red Hot Peppers.[1][2]
• She and John Kirby were among the first Black jazz stars with their own weekly radio series, Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm, featuring guests like Ella Fitzgerald.[1][2]
• Sullivan swung Shakespeare twice: introducing 'Darn That Dream' with Louis Armstrong in a 1939 jazz Midsummer Night’s Dream and recording Shakespeare lyrics in 1971.[2][4][6]
• Over age 70 in the 1980s, she earned Grammy nominations for albums like The Great Songs from the Cotton Club (1985) and was billed internationally as 'The Queen.'[2]

Associated Acts

• Maxine Sullivan and Her Orchestra
• The World’s Greatest Jazzband

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Claude Thornhill - Pianist and arranger who introduced her to recording and shaped her swing-folk style ('Loch Lomond' (1937), 'If I Had a Ribbon Bow', 'I Dream of Jeanie') [1937]

Key Collaborators

• John Kirby - Bassist, bandleader, and second husband; co-led sextet and radio show (Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm radio series, early 1937 sessions) [1937-1940s]
• Louis Armstrong - Film and stage co-star (Going Places (1938), Swingin’ the Dream (1939)) [1938-1939]
• Teddy Wilson - Pianist and bandleader (Recordings and performances) [1940s]
• Benny Carter - Bandleader; toured together (Recordings and 1941 tour) [1940s]
• Cliff Jackson - Pianist and fourth husband; performed at festivals (Manassas Jazz Festival (1966)) [1966-1980s]
• Bob Haggart - Bassist with World's Greatest Jazz Band (Comeback performances and recordings) [mid-1960s]

Artists Influenced

• Peggy Lee - Named Sullivan as a key vocal influence (N/A) [1930s onward]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) (Enjoy Yourself!)
2. Betsy: Blue Skies (Swing Street : Original 1931-1939 Recordings)
3. Blue Skies
4. It Was a Lover and His Lass
5. Kinda Lonesome
6. S'posin' (Maxine Sullivan, Vol. 2)
7. Kinda Lonesome - Remastered (Maxine's Star, Vol. 1)
8. Someday Sweetheart (We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye)
9. Massachusetts (Maxine Sullivan, Vol. 2)
10. Ain't Misbehavin' (Maxine Sullivan, Vol. 2)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz, #swing, #vocal-jazz