Here is a bluesy song performed by the legendary singer Frances Faye.
Frances Faye (born Frances Cohen in 1912 - d. in 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. She was born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, NY. She was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye. Faye's showbiz career began at age 15 in nightclubs where she first became a star. An extensive career as a nightclub performer followed. By 1934, Faye had already begun a demanding schedule that would keep her working usually 11 months a year, often on the road. Well into the 1970's, she was still headlining in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, as well as England and Australia. She appeared in one Bing Crosby film, Double or nothing (1937), with Martha Raye: playing a sister act in a nightclub owned by the Crosby character, Faye and Raye can be seen performing After you with Crosby. She wrote the song Well all right recorded by the Andrews Sisters. Faye made her solo recording debut in 1936. She recorded about a dozen albums for many different record companies, including Capitol Records and Imperial Records and jazz labels Verve Records and Bethlehem Records. During the 1960s, Faye suffered a number of health problems. She nevertheless continued to tour into the early 1980s. She returned to film in 1977, playing a madam in the Louis Malle film Pretty baby. Faye retired shortly afterward. Her recordings, songs and movies notwithstanding, Faye made her greatest impact in live performance. With an act peppered with double entendre and saucy modification of lyrics, Faye can be deemed a precursor of artists such as Bette Midler, Phyllis Diller and Eartha Kitt. On record, Frances Faye covered a wide and audacious musical territory that included hard swingers, mellow ballads, novelties, rock and roll and folk songs. Despite her brash manner and her rough voice, Faye’s ballad work is surprisingly dexterous. She remains in need of rediscovery as both an expert lounge performer and a one-of-a-kind interpreter of classic pop.
Enjoy Frances Faye's great style!
Go 'way from my window
1 commentaire:
This is an amazing video (of an amazing songbird) because it uses so many rare pictures of someone who covered so much ground as a music artist. I loved Frances Faye and was lucky to see her perform at the middle-end of her career (in Chicago, at the famous Mr. Kelly's nightclub.) I had a small exchange with her and she proved to be every bit as brash and funny as she is in recording.
I also wanted to write you and praise you for the AMAZING work you've done creating this website. It's the most comprehensive, dedicated and fun tribute I've ever seen dedicated to the great songbirds of popular song. I hope this message gets to you!
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