Alice Leslie Carter was an American

classic female blues Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by ...

singer, active as a recording artist in the early 1920s. Her best-known tracks are "Decatur Street Blues" and "Aunt Hagar's Children Blues". She was a contemporary of the better-known recording artists

Ma Rainey Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early-blues recording artist. Dubbed the " Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of ...

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

Clara Smith Clara Smith (March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) was an American classic female blues singer, billed as the "Queen of the Moaners", although she had a lighter and sweeter voice than many of her contemporaries. Clara Smith was not related to ...

Victoria Spivey Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976), sometimes known as Queen Victoria, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and record company founder. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid-1960s, s ...

Sippie Wallace Sippie Wallace (born Beulah Belle Thomas; November 1, 1898 – November 1, 1986) was an American blues singer, pianist and songwriter. Her early career in tent shows gained her the billing "The Texas Nightingale". Between 1923 and 1927, she recor ...

, and Bertha "Chippie" Hill. Little is known of her life outside music. She is not to be confused with Alice Carter, another

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

singer, who recorded four songs in 1923.

Career

Carter recorded eleven sides in 1921, with musical accompaniment led by

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

on piano. She recorded at a time when record labels were keen to sign anyone capable of singing a blues song, such was the market demand. Some of these performers were less than capable, but Carter's work showed her strong vocal abilities. Her output included the first vocalised recording of the

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...

and

Tim Brymn James Timothy Brymn (October 5, 1874 or 1881 – October 3, 1946)

song "Aunt Hagar's Children Blues." On January 20, 1922, Carter competed in a blues-singing contest with

Lucille Hegamin Lucille Nelson Hegamin (November 29, 1894 – March 1, 1970) was an American singer and entertainer and an early African-American blues recording artist. Life and career Lucille Nelson was born in Macon, Georgia, the daughter of John and Minnie ...

, Daisy Martin, and

Trixie Smith Trixie Smith (c.1885/1895 – September 21, 1943), was an American blues singer and film actress. She made four dozen recordings and appeared in five films. Biography Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Smith came from a middle-class backgroun ...

(the eventual winner) at the Manhattan Casino in New York City. In the printed programme she was billed as "The International Blues Star", from which the musicologist

David Evans David, Dave, or Dai Evans may refer to: Academics * Sir David Emrys Evans (1891–1966), Welsh classicist and university principal * David Evans (microbiologist) (1909–1984), British microbiologist * David Stanley Evans (1916–2004), British a ...

inferred that she may have toured in Europe with an American band after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.Evans, David (1996). Notes to ''Female Blues Singers, Volume 4: C''. Document Records DOCD-5508. All of her recorded output was included on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

''Female Blues Singers, Vol. 4: C (1921–1930)'', released in 1997 by

Document Records Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the Bl ...

Recordings

Recorded in New York City circa August 1921, issued by

Arto Records Arto Records was a record company and label that operated from 1920 to 1923. Arto was owned by the Standard Music Roll Company in Orange, New Jersey. The recording studio was located in New York City. Arto was one of the first labels to issue re ...

, Globe,

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

, Hy-Tone, and Cleartone *"Dangerous Blues" *"I Want Some Lovin' Blues" *"The Also Ran Blues" *"Cry Baby Blues" *"You'll Think of Me Blues" Recorded in New York City circa September 1921, issued by Arto Records, Globe, Bell Records, Hy-Tone, and Cleartone *"Aunt Hagar's Children Blues" *"Down Home Blues" Recorded in New York City circa November 1921, issued by Arto Records, Globe, Bell Records, Hy-Tone, and Cleartone *"Decatur Street Blues" *"Got to Have My Daddy Blues"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Alice Leslie Year of birth missing Place of birth missing Year of death missing Place of death missing African-American women singers American blues singers Classic female blues singers

Career

Recordings

See also

References