Alberta Hunter (blues)

Alberta Hunter was born on April 1, 1895 in Memphis, Tennessee. At a very young age (twelve or fifteen), she ran away from her hometown to go to Chicago. There, she began her singing career in the city's growing saloon and club scene, performing first with King Oliver's legendary Creole Jazz Band. She rose quickly to become one of the city's leading attractions in the 1910s and 1920s thanks to her abundant talent and stage presence.

Alberta Hunter began making recordings in 1921. One of the top recording artists in the 1920s and 1930s, she also wrote some of her own songs. She made more than 100 recordings for numerous labels. She also occasionally used pseudonyms to record while under contract with rival companies. Among her best known recordings are "'Taint Nobody's Business If I Do" and "Aggravatin' Papa."

Her career boomed from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her recordings and her performances throughout the United States on the black vaudeville circuit and the T.O.B.A. (Theater Owner's Booking Association) made her well-known.

However, in the 1950s, she found a new career. She lied her way into a New York hospital's training program for licensed practical nurses by taking of a dozen years from her age. She put in a lot of effort at this job. And nobody knew she was even a star! Despite earlier vowing not to perform during her nursing days, she rerecorded 'Down Hearted Blues' in 1961.

At 1977, she was made to resign from nursing due to old age. And so, at the ripe age of eighty-two, she made her musical comeback. Despite her age, she was full of energy and humor. And age had made her voice sound ever richer and deeper. For the remaining six years of her life, she recorded two new albums and had her older material re-released.

On October 17, 1984, at the age of 89, Alberta Hunta passed away.

Here are the lyrics to one of her blues songs, called 'A Good Man Is Hard To Find', written by Eddie Green.

A good man is hard to find,
You always get the other kind
Just when you think that he's your pal,
You look for him and find
Him fooling around some other gal
Then you rave, you even pray,
To see him laying in his grave
So if your man is nice,
You better take my advice
Hug him in the morning,
Kiss him every night,
Give him plenty loving,
Treat him right
Cause a good man now day's is hard to find
A good man is hard to find,
You always get the other kind
Just when you think that he's your pal,
You look for him and find
Him fooling around some other gal
Then you rave,
You even pray,
To see him laying in his grave
So if your man is nice,
You better take my advice
Hug him in the morning,
Kiss him every night,
Give him plenty loving,
Treat him right
Cause a good man now day's is hard to find
So if your man is nice,
You better take my advice
And hug him in the morning,
Kiss him every night,
Give him plenty loving,
And treat him right
For a good man now day's is hard to find

Now this is one of the songs in my music CD. I think it is easy to follow, and has a nice beat. However, I find it a little ironic that Alberta Hunter should sing 'kiss him late at night, give him plenty loving'. This is because I heard that she was married once, and during her marriage, she slept in her mother's room rather than with her husband. Of course, the marriage didn't work. The real fact was that Alberta Hunter was a lesbian. Throughout her life, she had plenty of relationships with women.

Here's another song, written by Alberta Hunter herself. This is a blues song in which I think she's singing about her own troubled love affairs. I must admit, after reading the lyrics, I could feel her pain (and I'm not one of those sensitive types of people). It's called 'Downhearted Blues'.

My man mistreated me,

and he drove me from his door

Lord he mistreated me,

and he drove me from his door

But the Good Book says you've got to reap just what you sow

I got the world in a jug, got the supper? right here in my hand

I got the world in a jug, got the supper? right here in my hand

And if you want me sweet papa you gotta come under my command

Say I ain't never loved but three men in my life

Lord I ain't never loved but three men in my life

't was my father and my brother and a man that wretched my life

Lord it may be a week and it may be a month or two

I said it may be a week and it may be a month or two

All the dirt you're doin' to me sho' comin' home to you

Lord I walked the floor, hang my head and cried

Lord I walked the floor, hang my head and cried

Had the down hearted blues, and I couldn't be satisfied.