Virginia Liston

Virginia Liston (néeCrawford; c. 1890 – June 1932)^[2] was an American classic female blues and jazz singer. She spent most of her career in vaudeville.^[1] She performed with her husband, Samuel H. Gray, as Liston and Liston. In the 1920s she made a series of recordings that included performances with Clarence Williams and his Blue Five on "You've Got the Right Key, but the Wrong Keyhole" and "Early in the Morning", and with the Clarence Williams Washboard Band on "Cushion Foot Stomp", and "P.D.Q. Blues".^[3]

Little is known about her childhood.^[4] It is thought that she was born around 1890 in Louisiana,^[5][6] although U.S. census records suggest that she may have been born in Mississippi.^[7] By the time she was ten years old, she and her family were living in New Orleans.^[7] She was working in local theaters in 1909 and was performing in Texas by 1910. In 1911 she married Dave Liston, a singer. The couple apparently were separated by 1913, but she kept his surname for the rest of her career.^[8] In about 1912, she was performing as a blues singer at the Segal Theater in Philadelphia.^[9] She subsequently lived in Washington, D.C., until the early 1920s.^[9]

From 1920 to 1923, she performed in a duo with her new husband, pianist Sam Gray, as Liston and Liston.^[9][4] They performed in the South on the Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) vaudeville circuit between 1920 and 1923, while also playing theaters in Philadelphia and Atlantic City.^[9] She regularly performed in Harlem theaters, and settled in New York City in about 1923.^[9]

Liston conoció al pianista Clarence Williams a principios de la década de 1920. Hizo sus primeras grabaciones con él para Okeh Records en septiembre de 1923. Se lanzaron treinta y seis temas hasta 1926 por Okeh y Vocalion . Estos incluyeron actuaciones con Louis Armstrong y Sidney Bechet . ^{[ 1 ]} En enero de 1924, Liston y Sam Gray grabaron juntos dos canciones, "You Can Have It (I Don't Want It)" y "Just Take One Long Last Lingering Look", para Okeh. ^{[ 10 ]} Para 1925 estaban divorciados.

En 1927, Liston realizó su última sesión de grabación, cantando "Cushion Foot Stomp" y "PDQ Blues" con la Clarence Williams Washboard Band. ^{[ 4 ]} Su canción "You Don't Know My Mind Blues" fue acreditada al equipo de compositores Gray, Liston y Williams. ^{[ 11 ]} El doble sentido sexual aparece en canciones como "Rolls Royce Papa", escrita por Liston y grabada en 1926, en la que cantaba sobre un hombre con una "biela de pistón doblada". ^{[ 12 ]} Otra canción se tituló "Puedes mojar tu pan en mi salsa, pero no puedes tener mis chuletas".

En 1929, Liston se volvió a casar y anunció su retiro del mundo del espectáculo . ^{[ 9 ]} Se mudó a San Luis, Misuri, y trabajó para una iglesia. ^{[ 1 ]} Murió en San Luis en junio de 1932. ^{[ 5 ]}

• Obras completas grabadas en orden cronológico , vol. 1 (1923–1924), Documento , 2000
• Obras grabadas completas en orden cronológico , vol. 2 (1924–1926), Documento, 2000; el álbum también contiene Lavinia Turner , Obras grabadas completas en orden cronológico (1921–1922) ^{[ 13 ]}

• Lista de cantantes clásicas de blues

• Biografía y discografía en el Archivo de Red Hot Jazz