Every evening when the kids were in bed and the parents were out, I would spend hours exploring the vast collection of original blues and jazz recordings that took up one whole wall, floor to ceiling. God must’ve sent me to that family because on those shelves was all the great American Music I would end up loving and exploring my whole life!

One evening I discovered an “album” of Bessie Smith 78’s. There it was - “Empty Bed Blues pts 1&2.” Bessie’s monumentally soulful voice and profound delivery moved me to the core, bowled me over and literally changed my life. At a time when singers like Patti Page and Connie Francis dominated the air waves, you can only imagine the mind blowing impact Bessie’s Blues had on me! It was the first Blues tune I ever learned (quickly followed by “Kitchen Man” and “ A Good Man Is Hard To Find”), and people seemed to enjoy hearing me sing them at parties and jams, which encouraged me to seek out and learn more Blues tunes whenever I could find them. At the same time I also fell in love with “Old Timey” and Bluegrass music and was soon learning to play old timey fiddle and delving into all sorts of American Roots Music. The burgeoning “Folk Music” scene was a time when this music (most of which originated in the Rural South) and the original musicians who had created it were being rediscovered by audiences in the urban North. Soon the scene was jumpin’ with lots of little folk clubs, cafes and “hootenannies.” Groups were forming left and right. I would sometimes sing at Gerde’s Folk City, which had a “hootenanny” (now called “open mic”) every Monday night. It was there I first met Victoria Spivey, one of the few Classic Blues Queens of the 20’s and 30’s that had survived the passage of time and the ever changing musical tastes of the American public. She was the first artist I know of savvy enough to start her own record label, and would show up regularly at Gerde’s scouting fresh new talent for her label, Spivey Records.

Upon returning from a sojourn down in North Carolina, where I had been visiting Doc Watson and his family, and learning old timey fiddle from his father-in-law Gaither Carlton, I was greeted by a group of friends in Washington Square Park who excitedly told me they had formed a Jug Band and that they’d been signed by Victoria Spivey to record for her label. They then went on to inform me that she had said, “You boys play real good, but y’all need some Sex Appeal up there – Why don’t you get that little gal I’ve seen singing and playing the fiddle and ask her to join?” (Hey, it was way before women’s lib!) It didn’t occur to me to be in anyway insulted by this overture, and besides, it sounded like fun, so I happily accepted their invitation. From that point on Victoria Spivey took me under her wing, and soon, under her tutelage and guidance, I was singing the Blues. She loved to give me pointers on how to present myself – she’d say, “Now Honey, it ain’t enough to just sound good – you got to look good too – you got to get up there and 'strut your stuff ', make all eyes be on You . Now that’s what they call Stage Presence.” She started going through her record collection to help me find good material to perform and record. That’s when I first heard Victoria’s early recordings, as well as Sippie Wallace and Memphis Minnie, and they all had a profound influence on me. She recorded a bunch of musicians at that time on Spivey Records including Sippie Wallace, Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim, and even a couple of sides featuring Big Joe Williams and a young Bob Dylan!

Alas, after all this preparation and tutelage Elektra Records got wind of the big “Jug Band Craze” that was surely about to sweep the nation. Not to be outdone by Vanguard Records, who’d just released an album by Cambridge’s wildly popular Jim Kweskin Jug Band, they sought out our Even Dozen Jug Band, and after some negotiations, bought out our contract from Victoria. She was a bit miffed (though I’m sure she made out just fine on the deal!), but took me aside and said, “I’m not mad at you – You’re still my baby!”

The Even Dozen Jug Band recorded one record and after two glorious gigs at Carnegie Hall and an appearance on the popular “Hootenanny” TV show, disbanded. Meanwhile, I had become very impressed by the talents (and looks!) of the Kweskin Jug Band’s singer and guitarist Geoff Muldaur and soon moved to Cambridge to be with him, and before too long I was asked to become a part of the Kweskin Jug Band. One of my very first gigs with them was at the ’64 Newport Folk Festival where I was happy to see Victoria Spivey again. As always, she was full of praise and encouragement for me. After that, I saw her from time to time as she continued to perform and record until her passing in 1976.

Imagine my complete surprise when two years ago someone mailed me a review of our ’64 Newport performance that Victoria had written - but I’d never seen. It was like a kiss and pat on the head – a validation straight from Blues Heaven to me after all these years – from someone who believed in me and my ability to deliver the Blues way before I believed in myself!

This album is lovingly dedicated to Victoria Spivey and to Sippie Wallace, another Blues Queen I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting, recording and performing with a few years later when our friend Ron Harwood rediscovered her in Detroit and got the Kweskin Jug Band involved in her “comeback” with a concert at Town Hall and a recording in which we backed her up (with a little help from Otis Spann!) On that recording I sang “Separation Blues” with her. She enjoyed a resurgence of her career and performed all over the States and Europe ‘til she passed on to Blues Heaven in ’86 at the age of 88. She often performed with Jim Dapogny and his marvelous Chicago Jazz Band and with Bonnie Raitt as well. I thought to invite Bonnie to sing a duet of “Separation Blues” with me because we’d both sung it with Sippie back in the day.

This album is a tribute to the Classic Blues Queens originally recorded in the 20’s and 30’s. These singers presented a more sophisticated, polished, urban Blues style compared to the more primitive sound of the Delta Blues artists. Appearing in large theaters, decked out in lavish finery and accompanied by the most accomplished Jazz musicians of the day, their music resonated at the crossroads where Jazz and Blues meet.

In a way, they were among our very first “Pop Stars”, selling millions of records in an era when times were hard and money was scarce. These women were “liberated” way before the term was coined, liberated socially, financially, and most of all – sexually – from the prevailing confines and mores of the time. They lived life as they pleased, enjoyed sex with whom they pleased, sang about it with great joy, relish and humor with a “Tain’t Nobody’s Business If (and what!) I Do”. They transformed their personal feelings and experiences into transcendent artistic expression, skillfully blending ingredients of heartbreak, desire, passion and joy in a way that still speaks to us today.

It was a great pleasure recording these sassy, soulful songs with Jim Dapogny and his wonderful band. Bonnie, the band and I were all inspired by fond memories of working with Sippie, and the boys all outdid themselves with ebullient, joyful playing that will chase anybody’s Blues away – Enjoy!

MM

BIO

Maria Muldaur’s latest album for Stony Plain Records, Naughty, Bawdy & Blue, is a unique concept that goes well-beyond a regular “tribute” CD. It’s the combination of her talent, knowledge of the music and utilization of musicians who’ve played with some of the artists saluted on this CD that enables her to re-create the sound, passion and presentation of these songs. In fact, it’s fair to say that Maria is probably the only present-day singer who could pull off an album like this with the kind of authenticity that surpasses any others. That’s because for over 40 years as a performer, she’s literally lived the life of someone steeped in the American roots music songbook, whether it’s blues, jazz, gospel, folk, country or rhythm & blues. She’s the real deal, a true natural resource without any artificial affectations or jive.

For Maria Muldaur, the inspiration to sing and perform literally arrived in her own backyard. Born and raised in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, Maria was at the epicenter of the burgeoning folk and roots music boom that happened in the early ‘60s, with Greenwich Village as its hub. The pull of this exciting new music was strong, drawing singers, songwriters and musicians such as a young Bob Dylan from all across the USA to “The Village” to be a part of that scene.

“At the tender age of 17, I ran away from home,” recounts Maria in her new album’s liner notes. “I wound up about seven blocks away, taking care of two young girls in exchange for my room and board, while continuing my senior year of high school. Every evening when the kids were in bed and the parents were out, I would spend hours exploring the vast collection of original blues an jazz recordings that took up one whole wall, floor to ceiling, God must have sent me to that family because on those shelves was all the great American music I would end up loving and exploring my whole life!”

During the same time, Maria discovered the bluegrass and “old timey” music of the American rural south, which also informed her musical upbringing. All of these elements inspired Maria to sing, learn how to play the fiddle and perform, eventually becoming a member of the Even Dozen Jug Band, whose members included John Sebastian, David Grisman and Stefan Grossman. She later joined the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, which included her future husband, Geoff Muldaur. It was also around that time that she met legendary blues singer Victoria Spivey, who took Maria under her wing and taught her the finer points of blues singing and performing.

Throughout her critically-lauded career as a singer and performer, Maria has held tight to her roots, carrying the torch for these truly American music forms. Even her substantial commercial success with songs such as “Midnight at the Oasis,” “I’m a Woman” and others, owes a debt to the music she loves.