Birth of the Blues

Dinah Washington performing "Birth of the Blues" on a 1957 TV Appearance.

Dinah Washington

Following up on the last post, here are a couple more segments of Dinah Washington.

A live television appearance from the Apollo Theater. Washington and Louis Jordan perform "What a Difference a Day Makes" and "Makin Whoppee". The introduction is done by Ronald "Ronnie" Reagan.



"I Don't Hurt Anymore"



"September in the Rain"

This Bitter Earth\On the Nature of Daylight

"This Bitter Earth" is one of my favorite songs, and Dinah Washington does the best version of it. This combination of Washington's singing with the music from Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" was create for the film Shutter Island.

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".