Fannie May Goosby (born 1902, died after 1934) also known as Fannie Mae Goosby 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, pianist and songwriter. Ten of her recordings were released between 1923 and 1928, one of which, "Grievous Blues", she recorded twice. Goosby was one of the first female blues musicians to record her own material. She also was one of the first two blues singers to be recorded in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

, the other being the

dirty blues Dirty blues (also known as bawdy blues) is a form of blues music that deals with socially taboo and obscene subjects, often referring to sexual acts and drug use. Because of the sometimes graphic subject matter, such music was often banned from rad ...

singer

Lucille Bogan Lucille Bogan (née Anderson; April 1, 1897August 10, 1948) was an American classic female blues singer and songwriter, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson. Music critic Ernest Borneman noted tha ...

. Details of her life outside the recording studio are minimal.

Biography

According to the blues researchers Bob Eagle and Eric S. LeBlanc, Goosby may have been born in

Pinehurst, Georgia Pinehurst is a city in Dooly County, Georgia, United States. The population was 309 in 2020. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Pinehurst in 1895. The community was named for the pine trees abundant in Georgia. Geography Pinehu ...

. In early June 1923, Polk C. Brockman, an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

-based furniture store owner, who had been instrumental in the distribution of disks for

Okeh Records OKeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name originally was spelled "OkeH" from the init ...

, went to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to work out a new business deal with Okeh. He was asked if he knew of any artist in Atlanta that could justify a recording trip to Georgia. Brockman promised to return with an answer. At his next meeting with the Okeh Records board, he persuaded

Ralph Peer Ralph Sylvester Peer (May 22, 1892 – January 19, 1960) was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote re ...

to record

Fiddlin' John Carson "Fiddlin'" John Carson (March 23, 1868 – December 11, 1949) was an American musician and singer who is widely considered to be one of the early pioneers of country music. Early life Carson was born near McCaysville in Fannin County, Georgia. ...

. At the same recording sessions, probably on June 14, 1923, Peer also recorded "The Pawn Shop Blues", sung by

, and Goosby singing her own composition "Grievous Blues", for which she accompanied herself on the piano, with a trumpet part played by Henry Mason. It is notable as the first rural blues to be recorded. Goosby wrote most of her own songs, which was then a rarity among female blues singers. Carson, Bogan, and Goosby were subsequently invited to

to record more tracks. Goosby recorded another version of "Grievous Blues" and five more songs in September and October of that year, all of which were released by Okeh. Goosby also accompanied Viola Baker in March 1924 on Baker's recording of "Sweet Man Blues". Goosby recorded another four tracks in March 1928, which appeared on the Brunswick label. One of these was "Fortune Teller Blues", by Levi B. Byron and originally recorded by Geneva Gray on November 4, 1926. Later recordings by

Martha Copeland Martha Copeland (–1894; date of death unknown) was an American classic female blues singer. She recorded 34 songs between 1923 and 1928. She was promoted by Columbia Records as "Everybody's Mammy", but her records did not sell in the quantiti ...

, Viola McCoy, and

Rosa Henderson Rosa Henderson (November 24, 1896 – April 6, 1968) was an American jazz and classic female blues singer and vaudeville entertainer of the Harlem Renaissance era. One commentator noted that "her large record output and continuing success on the ...

was of another song with the same title, which was composed by

Porter Grainger Porter Grainger ( Granger; October 22, 1891 − October 30, 1948) was an African American pianist, songwriter, playwright, and music publisher. Early life When Grainger was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Granger family name did not include ...

. Eagle and LeBlanc stated that Goosby was last reported alive in New York around 1934. No further biographical information about her later life has been discovered.

Songs

All songs were written by Goosby, except as indicated otherwise.

Compilation albums

*''Piano Singer's Blues: Women Accompany Themselves'' ( Rosetta Records, 1982) includes Goosby's "Fortune Teller Blues" *''Female Blues Singers Vol. 7'' (

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 ...

, 2005) includes Goosby's "Grievous Blues" and "Goosby Blues"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goosby, Fannie May 1902 births 20th-century deaths Year of death uncertain American blues singers 20th-century African-American women singers Classic female blues singers African-American pianists American blues pianists 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers African-American songwriters 20th-century American songwriters

Biography

Songs

Compilation albums

See also

References