Lizzie Miles records at Okeh Records

The first 1922 post for our annual celebration of Black History Month.

One hundred years ago today … Singer Lizzie Miles made her first recording at Okeh Records on 25 West 45th St., Manhattan. 

The New Orleans jazz standard “Dear Old Southland” was among the songs, but this seems to have never been released. Later that month, she recorded the blues tunes “Muscle Shoals Blues” and “She Walked Right Up And Took My Man Away,” both of which can be heard on line.

Discogs.com. 

Listen to “Muscle Shoals Blues” (here) and “She Walked Right Up And Took My Man Away” (here).

Note: we previously reported on Okeh Records when featuring the groundbreaking blues singer Mamie Smith, here, here, and here.

Miles, a native of New Orleans, had just arrived in NYC from Chicago and was recording at Okeh at the suggestion of jazz giant King Oliver. Miles would stay in New York for the next two-three years, recording occasionally and performing at Harlem venues Dash’s Inn and The Capital Club. In 1951, she gave a lengthy interview about her life, which one can listen to at Tulane University's "Music Rising" site.

– Jonathan Goldman, Feb 2, 2022

TAGS: Black music, African American history, blues, jazz, women singer, record, studio