Preachin' The Blues

Queen Latifah & Trombone Shorty performing a Bessie Smith song, "Preachin' The Blues".

Christmas 2010 (Con't)

More Christmas songs.

This video is a bit saccharine, but I do like Trisha Yearwood's singing "Sweet Little Jesus Boy"



From the Cats of Cool, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Darlene Love's version of this was in yesterday post. I am posting this if for no other reason than to show that there was actually a time when you could go on television and sing Christmas carols while smoking a cigarette.



Kay Starr - "The Man With the Bag"



Bessie Smith - "At the Christmas Ball"

Songs About Drinking

No Depression posted the first video below on Facebook, and it inspired me to do a post of songs about drinking. I have previously posted three of the best songs about drinking, or not drinking as the case may be—Great Big Sea's "The Old Black Rum", Corb Lund's "Time to Switch to Whiskey" and Elizabeth Cook's "Yes to Booty". So here are a couple more.

Townes Van Zandt - "Talking Thunderbird"



George Jones - "White Lightning"



I previously posted all of the known film of Bessie Smith. To include her again we have to go with just audio. So here it is, Bessie Smith with "Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer".




The Steeldrivers - Drinkin Dark Whiskey

St. Louis Blues/Bessie Smith

The film St. Louis Blues was released 80 years ago on September 8, 1929. I was not there, but evidently IMDB was. I believe this film contains the only extant footage of Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues.



Smith was killed in a car accident when she was only 43 years old. Many have covered her songs over the last 80 years. Dinah Washington recorded an entire album of Bessie Smith song call appropriately enough "Dinah Sings Bessie Smith" This is a great album, but I am hoping that someday Queen Latifah will record some Bessie Smith songs.

Here is Dinah Washington singing "Send Me to the 'lectric Chair".