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Georgia Gibbs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Frieda Lipschitz (1918-08-17)August 17, 1918 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2006(2006-12-09) (aged 87) New York City, U.S. |
| Years active | 1936–1966 |
Georgia Gibbs (bornFrieda Lipschitz; August 17, 1919 – December 9, 2006)[1] was an American popular singer and vocal entertainer rooted in jazz. Already singing publicly in her early teens, Gibbs achieved acclaim and notoriety in the mid-1950s copying songs originating with the black rhythm and blues community and later became a featured vocalist for many radio and television variety and comedy programs.[1] Her key attribute was tremendous versatility and an uncommon stylistic range from melancholy ballad to uptempo swinging jazz and rock and roll.
Gibbs was born inWorcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent.[2] Her father died when she was six months old, and she and her three siblings spent the next seven years in a local Jewishorphanage.[3]
Revealing a natural talent for singing at a young age, Frieda was given the lead in the orphanage's yearlyvariety show. When her mother, who had visited her every other month, found employment as a midwife, she came back for Frieda, but her job often forced her to leave her daughter for weeks at a time with only aPhilco radio for company.[citation needed]
While still in Worcester at age 13, Frieda auditioned for a job at thePlymouth Theatre, one of the primevaudeville houses inBoston. The Plymouth's manager had already heard her sing on the local Worcester radio station, and Gibbs was hired and moved to Boston,[4] eventually landing at theRaymor Ballroom. She joined the Hudson-DeLange Orchestra in 1936 (age 17), and toured with them for 10 months asFredda Gibson.[5] "You don't really know loneliness unless you do a year or two with a one-night band", Gibbs said of her life on the big-band circuit, "Sing until about 2 a.m. Get in a bus and drive 400 miles. Stop in the night for the greasy hamburger. Arrive in a town. Try to sleep. Get up and eat."[6]
She found steady work on radio shows includingYour Hit Parade,Melody Puzzles, andThe Tim And Irene Show and freelanced in the late 1930s and early 1940s singing with the bands ofTommy Dorsey,Hal Kemp,Artie Shaw, andFrankie Trumbauer. While aBillboard article reports that her first time on disk was with Trumbauer's orchestra (The Laziest Gal in Town onBrunswick Records),[7] liner notes from a 1998Simitar compilation report her appearance on some of DeLange's recordings on Brunswick, and a recording exists with Hal Kemp from 1939. She first charted with Shaw's band in 1942 onAbsent Minded Moon (Victor 27779), which received a lukewarm review at the time. Gibbs was the first singer to recordThe Laziest Gal in Town, aCole Porter song which was made much more famous in the 1960s byNina Simone.[8]
In 1943, with her name changed to Georgia Gibbs, she began appearing on theCamel Caravan radio program, hosted byJimmy Durante andGarry Moore, where she remained a regular performer until 1947. It was Moore who bestowed upon her the famous nickname "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs," ironically using the title to describe the singer of diminutive stature who had an enormous "authoritative" prominence in American pop music.[9]
Gibbs signed with Majestic Records in 1946 cutting multiple records including the first of three recordings ofBallin' The Jack (she re-recorded the song in 1950 and 1954). but her first solohit single, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" (on theCorallabel) did not come until 1950. The recording got airplay but the disc failed to sell anything. During this period she also was the featured vocalist on tours with comediansDanny Kaye andSid Caesar. Success as a singer outside of radio and variety shows continued to elude her, as noted in a 1952Time article:
"Georgia", they kept telling her, "you gotta get a sound." Musical soothsayers were trying to get Songstress Georgia Gibbs into line with the latest fashion. Perhaps, they thought, she should sing mechanized duets with herself (likePatti Page), or she might try an echo chamber background (likePeggy Lee). But gimmicks were not Georgia Gibbs's cup of tea. She had a big, old-fashioned voice, a good ear, a vivacious personality, and she knew how to sing from the shoulder. She would stick with plain Georgia Gibbs.[10]
Through 1949 and 1950 she appeared on TV showsCavalcade of Stars andAll Star Revue. In 1951 she signed withMercury Records where she ultimately had success "sticking with plain Georgia Gibbs". Possessed of a versatile voice, she cut a long list of well-received records in every category from torch songs to rock-and-roll, jazz, swing, old fashionedballads and cha-chas. The most successful, 1952's "Kiss Of Fire", which she performed onThe Milton Berle Show in that spring, reached No. 1 on the pop music chart.[11] The disc sold in excess of one million copies giving Gibbs her firstgold disc.[12] "Kiss of Fire" borrows the tune of thetangoEl Choclo byÁngel Villoldo, and the lyrics, arrangement and delivery communicate passion on aWagnerian scale.
Like many singers, Gibbs preferred ballads as there was more opportunity to showcase her vocal abilities, although she became mostly associated with uptempo novelty songs. Some ballads she cut included "My Melancholy Baby", "I'll Be Seeing You", "Autumn Leaves", and "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song". Yet she could alsobelt out fast jazz numbers like "Red Hot Mama", "A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz"; jive with tunes like "Ol Man Mose", "Shoo Shoo Baby"; or rock out with "I Want You to Be My Baby". HerSwingin' With Her Nibs album (1956) demonstrated her natural affinity for improvisation as well.
In 1957, Gibbs signed with RCA Victor[7] going on to chart with over 40 songs before retirement from singing, and was briefly successful doing rock 'n' roll songs as well. Her Mercury record "Silent Lips" was a big hit in Sweden (September 1958-March 1959) peaking at number 5 in the best-selling charts, and there were even several Swedish cover versions of that song, "Ingenting" by among othersTowa Carson,Lill-Babs andBritt Rylander. Also "The Hula Hoop Song" did well in Sweden (February–March 1959) peaking at number 12. She continued to appear on many television shows includingThe Ed Sullivan Show, and hosted one of her own,Georgia Gibbs and her Million Record Show. She cut her final albumCall Me, in 1966 and rarely performed after that.
Some notoriety followed Gibbs for hercover versions of music popularized by black performers, such asEtta James's "The Wallflower" (recorded by Gibbs with bowdlerized lyrics under the title "Dance With Me Henry", released March 26, 1955) and her copycat cover[13][14] ofLaVern Baker's "Tweedle Dee" (which outsold Baker's version, prompting complaint from her). Decades later, Gibbs commented that she, like most artists of the day, had no say in their choice of material and arrangements. A widely told story has LaVern Baker taking out a life insurance policy on herself in advance of a flight to Australia and naming Georgia Gibbs as the beneficiary. "You need this more than I do," Baker is said to have written to Gibbs, "because if anything happens to me, you're out of business."[1] Whitened pop covers of black R&B and blues songs were a mid-1950s fad and many singers and groups had hits with them, includingPat Boone,the McGuire Sisters,the Chordettes, andthe Crew Cuts.
In 1970 she married foreign correspondent and authorFrank Gervasi, biographer ofIsraeli prime ministerMenachem Begin, and whose books includeTo Whom Palestine?,The Case for Israel,The Real Rockefeller andThe Violent Decade.[15] They had first met in Paris in the 1930s, but lost touch with one another for 12 years. The marriage lasted until his death in 1990; they had one child who predeceased Georgia.[citation needed]
Georgia Gibbs died ofleukemia on December 9, 2006, aged 88, at New York'sMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Survivors included grandsonSacha Gervasi (from her husband's previous marriage), her brother Robert Gibson and nieces Patty Turk,[16]Jody (Babydoll) Gibson,[17] and Jody's sisterAmy. Gibbs' last interview, conducted byGreg Adams, was subsequently published online.[18]
Interest in Gibbs' work has enjoyed a revival with the re-issue onCD of long unavailable material. In her 2006 book,Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair With 50s Pop Music,Newsweek music critic Karen Schoemer wrote: "What really turned me around, though, were her R&B covers... Georgia was the rare fifties canary with a genuine flair for rock and roll... by the time I was through listening... I had a healthy new respect for Georgia, and a sense of indignation over her neglect by critics."[19]
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CB | US AC | UK[20] | |||
| 1947 | "You Do" b/w "Feudin' and Fightin'" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1950 | "If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked A Cake)" b/w "Stay With the Happy People" (Non-album track) | 5 | — | — | — | Her Nibs, Georgia Gibbs |
| "Simple Melody" b/w "A Little Bit Independent" Both tracks withBob Crosby | 25 | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Cherry Stones" b/w "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" Both sides with Bob Crosby | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Red Hot Mama" b/w "Razz-A-Ma-Tazz" | — | — | — | — | Her Nibs, Georgia Gibbs | |
| 1951 | "I Still Feel The Same About You" b/w "Get Out Those Old Records" | 18 | — | — | — | |
| "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" b/w "Get Him Off My Hands" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Tom's Tune" b/w "I Wish, I Wish" | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| "Good Morning, Mr. Echo" b/w "Be Doggone Sure You Call" | 21 | — | — | — | ||
| "While You Danced, Danced, Danced" b/w "While We're Young" | 6 | — | — | — | ||
| "Cry" b/w "My Old Flame" | 24 | — | — | — | ||
| 1952 | "Kiss of Fire" b/w "A Lasting Thing" | 1 | — | — | — | |
| "So Madly In Love" b/w "Make Me Love You" | 21 | 22 | — | — | ||
| "Sinner Or Saint" / | — | 28 | — | — | ||
| "My Favorite Song" | 22 | 12 | — | — | ||
| "A Moth and A Flame" b/w "The Photograph On The Piano" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953 | "What Does It Mean To Be Lonely" b/w "Winter's Here Again" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Seven Lonely Days" b/w "If You Take My Heart Away" | 5 | 9 | — | — | Song Favorites Of Georgia Gibbs | |
| "For Me, For You" / | 21 | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Thunder and Lightning" | — | 20 | — | — | ||
| "Say It Isn't So" b/w "He's Funny That Way" | — | — | — | — | Music and Memories | |
| "The Bridge Of Sighs" / | 30 | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "A Home Lovin' Man" | 30 | — | — | — | ||
| "Under Paris Skies" b/w "I Love Paris" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954 | "Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell" b/w "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" | 18 | 15 | — | — | |
| "My Sin" b/w "I'll Always Be Happy With You" (Non-album tracks) | 21 | 27 | — | — | Song Favorites Of Georgia Gibbs | |
| "Wait For Me, Darling" b/w "Whistle and I'll Dance" | 24 | 32 | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "The Man That Got Away" b/w "More Than Ever" (Non-album track) | — | — | — | — | Music and Memories | |
| "Mambo Baby" b/w "Love Me" (Non-album track) | — | 41 | — | — | Song Favorites Of Georgia Gibbs | |
| 1955 | "Tweedle Dee" b/w "You're Wrong, All Wrong" (Non-album track) | 2 | 3 | — | 20 | |
| "Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower)" Original B-side: "Ballin' The Jack" Later B-side: "Every Road Must Have A Turning" | 1 | 3 | — | — | ||
| "Sweet and Gentle" / | 12 | 8 | — | — | ||
| "Blueberries" | — | 45 | — | — | ||
| "I Want You To Be My Baby" b/w "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (Non-album track) | 14 | 13 | — | — | ||
| "Goodbye To Rome (Arrivederci Roma)" / | 51 | 44 | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "24 Hours a Day (365 A Year)[21]" | 74 | 36 | — | — | ||
| 1956 | "Rock Right" b/w "The Greatest Thing" | 36 | 37 | — | — | |
| "Kiss Me Another" b/w "Fool Of The Year" | 30 | 27 | — | 24 | ||
| "Happiness Street" b/w "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" (fromSwinging With Her Nibs | 20 | 30 | — | — | ||
| "Tra La La" b/w "Morning, Noon and Night" | 24 | 36 | — | — | ||
| 1957 | "Silent Lips" b/w "Pretty Pretty" | 68 | 50 | — | — | |
| "The Sheik Of Araby" b/w "I Am A Heart, A Heart, A Heart" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I'm Walking The Floor Over You" b/w "Sugar Candy" | 92 | — | — | — | ||
| "Fun Lovin' Baby" b/w "I Never Had The Blues" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Miss You" b/w "Great Balls Of Fire" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "Way Way Down" b/w "You're Doin' It" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Hello Happiness, Goodbye Blues" b/w "It's My Pleasure" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Hula Hoop Song" b/w "Keep In Touch" | 32 | 37 | — | — | ||
| 1959 | "The Hucklebuck" b/w "Better Loved You'll Never Be" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Pretend" b/w "Hamburgers, Frankfurters and Potato Chips" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960 | "Seven Lonely Days" b/w "The Stroll That Stole My Heart" | — | — | — | — | |
| "So in Love" b/w "Loch Lomond" | — | — | — | — | Georgia Gibbs | |
| 1963 | "Candy Kisses" b/w "I Will Follow You" | — | — | — | — | Georgia Gibbs' Greatest Hits |
| "Tater Poon" b/w "Nine Girls Out Of Ten Girls" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| 1964 | "You Can Never Get Away From Me" b/w "I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" | — | — | — | — | Call Me Georgia Gibbs |
| 1965 | "Let Me Cry On Your Shoulder" Original B-side: "You Can Never Get Away From Me" Later B-side: "Venice Blue (Que C'est Triste Venise)" | 132 | 87 | — | — | |
| "Call Me" b/w "Don't Cry Joe" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Let Me Dream" b/w "In Time" | — | — | 37 | — | |
| "Kiss Of Fire" b/w "Blue Grass" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Where's The Music Coming From" b/w "Time Will Tell" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
