Victoria Spivey

Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976),^[1][2] sometimes known as Queen Victoria,^[3] was an American blues singer, songwriter, and record company founder. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid-1960s, she worked with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell, Lonnie Johnson, and Bob Dylan.^[4] She also performed in vaudeville and clubs, sometimes with her sisters Addie "Sweet Peas" (or "Sweet Pease") Spivey^[5] and Elton Island Spivey (also known as the Za Zu Girl). Among her compositions are "Black Snake Blues" (1926), "Dope Head Blues" (1927), and "Organ Grinder Blues" (1928). In 1961, she co-founded Spivey Records with one of her husbands, Len Kunstadt. Her recordings are considered important examples of classic female blues, and scholars note that her music reflected the themes and performance styles that were common among major women blues artists of the 1920s and 1930s.

Nacida en Houston , Texas, ^{[ 6 ]} era hija de Grant y Addie (Smith) Spivey. Su padre era músico a tiempo parcial y señalero del ferrocarril; su madre era enfermera. ^{[ 7 ]} Tenía tres hermanas, las tres también cantaban profesionalmente: Leona, Elton "Za Zu" (12 de agosto de 1900 - 25 de junio de 1971) y Addie "Sweet Peas" (o "Sweet Pease") Spivey (22 de agosto de 1910 - 1943), ^{[ 5 ] [ 4 ]} que grabó para varias importantes discográficas entre 1929 y 1937. ^{[ 8 ] [ 9 ]} Se casó cuatro veces; Entre sus maridos se encontraban Ruben Floyd, Billy Adams y Len Kunstadt , con quien cofundó Spivey Records en 1961. Los estudiosos la describen como una voz importante en los inicios del blues femenino urbano y clásico, conocida por su canto expresivo y su gran habilidad para contar historias. 

Según el Manual de Texas en línea, el desarrollo musical temprano de Spivey comenzó en Houston, donde tocaba con la banda de cuerdas de su familia y aprendió canciones comunes en las comunidades musicales afroamericanas locales. El Registro Afroamericano señala que mostró talento musical desde temprana edad, cantando, tocando el piano y adaptándose a diversos escenarios. ^{[ 10 ]}

La primera experiencia profesional de Spivey fue en una banda de cuerdas familiar dirigida por su padre en Houston. Tras su muerte, Victoria, de siete años, tocaba sola en fiestas locales. En 1918, fue contratada para acompañar películas en el Lincoln Theater de Dallas . ^{[ 11 ]} Durante su adolescencia, trabajó en bares, clubes nocturnos y locales de comida rápida, principalmente sola, pero ocasionalmente con cantantes-guitarristas, entre ellos Blind Lemon Jefferson . ^{[ 6 ]}

En 1926 se mudó a St. Louis, Missouri , donde firmó con Okeh Records . Su primera grabación, "Black Snake Blues" (1926), ^{[ 12 ]} tuvo buena acogida y su relación con el sello continuó. Grabó numerosos temas para Okeh en la ciudad de Nueva York hasta 1929, cuando se cambió al sello Victor . Entre 1931 y 1937, realizó más grabaciones para Vocalion Records y Decca Records , ^{[ 6 ]} y, trabajando desde Nueva York, mantuvo una agenda de actuaciones muy activa. Entre sus acompañantes grabados se encontraban King Oliver , Charles Avery , Louis Armstrong , Lonnie Johnson y Red Allen . ^{[ 9 ]}

Según la Enciclopedia del Blues ^{[ 13 ]} , identifican a Spivey como una de las artistas femeninas de blues más destacadas de Okeh. Sus grabaciones de la década de 1920, incluyendo "Black Snake Blues", "Dope Head Blues" y "Organ Grinder Blues", presentaban temas audaces y un estilo lírico directo. Phil Hardy y Dave Laing describen sus interpretaciones como enérgicas y seguras, señalando que a menudo utilizaba el humor y la emotividad para dar forma al significado de sus canciones. ^{[ 14 ]}

La Gran Depresión no puso fin a la carrera musical de Spivey. Encontró una nueva salida para su talento en 1929, cuando el director de cine King Vidor la eligió para interpretar a Missy Rose en su primera película sonora, ¡ Aleluya!. Durante las décadas de 1930 y 1940, Spivey continuó trabajando en películas musicales y espectáculos teatrales, incluyendo el exitoso musical Hellzapoppin (1938), a menudo junto a su esposo, el bailarín de vodevil Billy Adams. ^{[ 6 ]}

En 1951, Spivey se retiró del mundo del espectáculo para tocar el órgano y dirigir un coro de iglesia, pero regresó a la música secular en 1961, cuando se reencontró con un antiguo compañero de canto, Lonnie Johnson, para aparecer en cuatro temas de su álbum Idle Hours, de Prestige Bluesville .

The folk music revival of the 1960s gave her further opportunities to make a comeback. She recorded again for Prestige Bluesville, sharing an album, Songs We Taught Your Mother, with fellow veterans Alberta Hunter and Lucille Hegamin, and began making personal appearances at festivals and clubs, including the 1963 European tour of the American Folk Blues Festival.

In 1961, Spivey and the jazz and blues historian Len Kunstadt launched Spivey Records, a low-budget label dedicated to blues, jazz, and related music, prolifically recording established artists, including Sippie Wallace, Lucille Hegamin, Otis Rush, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Joe Turner, Buddy Tate, and Hannah Sylvester, and also newer artists, including Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Brenda Bell, Washboard Doc, Bill Dicey, Robert Ross, Sugar Blue, Paul Oscher, Danny Russo, and Larry Johnson.^[6]

The Blues Hall of Fame notes that Spivey Records played an important role in preserving the work of older blues musicians during a period when opportunities for them were limited. The label also provided recording experience for younger artists, including Bob Dylan, helping connect different generations of blues performers. ^[15]

Spivey also hosted a column entitled "Blues Is My Business" in Len Kundstadt's magazine Record Research from 1962 to 1970.^[16] Notably, Spivey disputes the peaceful exchange between herself and Blind Lemon Jefferson over his recording of "Black Snake Moan" just months after her recording "Black Snake Blues". While many descriptions of "Black Snake Moan" cite Spivey as inspiration for Jefferson's recording, her account reveals the interaction to be more in line with the kind of erasure black women performers of this era experienced.^[17]

"According to the 1976 Spivey obituary published in The Black Perspective in Music, Spivey's songs addressed themes related to daily life, relationships, and social conditions faced by African American women. Her work is often discussed as an important example of the expressive and narrative traditions that shaped early blues. ^[18]

In March 1962, Spivey and Big Joe Williams recorded for Spivey Records, with harmonica accompaniment and backup vocals by Bob Dylan. The recordings were released on Three Kings and the Queen (Spivey LP 1004) and Kings and the Queen Volume Two (Spivey LP 1014). Dylan was listed under his own name on the record covers.^[19] A picture of her and Dylan from this period is shown on the back cover of the Dylan album, New Morning. In 1964, Spivey made her only recording with an all-white band, the Connecticut-based Easy Riders Jazz Band, led by the trombonistBig Bill Bissonnette. It was released first on an LP and later re-released on compact disc.

Spivey's musical style combined elements of classic female blues, vaudeville, and early urban blues. Her vocals were known for strong projection, expressive timing, and clear storytelling. She often used direct or humorous language, addressing themes not commonly heard in commercial recordings of the 1920s. ^[13]

The 1976 Spivey obituary published in The Black Perspective in Music notes that her lyrics reflected everyday life and the experiences of African American women, showing both independence and emotional depth.^[20] In The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music, it describes her stage presence as energetic and engaging.^[21]

Spivey is recognized as an important figure in blues history. The Blues Hall of Fame cites both her long performing career and her role in preserving blues traditions through Spivey Records.^[22]

Her work during the 1960s blues revival connected younger musicians, including Bob Dylan, to earlier blues styles.

Scholars also note that she helped define the themes and vocal approach of classic female blues, and her recordings continue to be discussed in studies of African American music and women's history.^[23]

Victoria Spivey was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1986.

Spivey murió en Nueva York el 3 de octubre de 1976, a la edad de 69 años, a causa de una hemorragia interna . ^{[ 4 ] [ 24 ]}

• blues clásico femenino
• Lista de músicos de blues
• Lista de cantantes clásicas de blues
• Lista de músicos de country blues
• Lista de artistas de vodevil: L–Z
• Spivey Records

• Cohn, Lawrence, ed. (1993). Nothing but the Blues: The Music and the Musicians . Nueva York: Abbeville Publishing Group. ISBN 1-55859-271-7.
• La Fundación del Blues. (9 de diciembre de 2019). Victoria Spivey . Salón de la Fama del Blues.

• Sello discográfico de Victoria Spivey. Archivado el 29/11/2020 en Wayback Machine.
• Guía de la Colección Victoria Spivey, 1925-1940, 1961-1976, Instituto de Estudios de Jazz, Universidad de Rutgers - Newark. Archivado el 3 de marzo de 2016 en Wayback Machine.
• Documentos de Victoria Spivey, circa 1960–1976, Biblioteca de Manuscritos, Archivos y Libros Raros de la Universidad de Emory.
• Victoria Spivey (1908-1976) en Red Hot Jazz Archive
• Discografía ilustrada de Spivey Records por Stefan Wirz
• Biblioteca de Manuscritos, Archivos y Libros Raros Stuart A. Rose , Universidad de Emory: Documentos de Victoria Spivey, circa 1960-1976.
• Entrevista de 1960 con Paul Oliver