Song:Suitcase Blues
Album:Complete Recorded Works Vol. 2 1925-1945
Blues singer Sippie Wallace recorded from 1923-27. And then she quit the music business. She returned in the 60s and performed until her 1986 death. She was born Beulah Thomas Nov. 1, 1898 in Jefferson County, AR but she grew up in Houston. Her older brother George Thomas and younger brother Hersal Thomas were also musicians. Their father was a deacon so they all grew up singing and playing piano in church. At night they all played blues in tent shows. Sippie and Hersal moved to New Orleans in 1915 where she married Matt Wallace. They all moved to Chicago in 1923. And that's when Sippie signed with Okeh Records. She recorded regularly from 1923-27. She usually wrote songs with her brothers. She recorded with some of the top musicians of the era including Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Most of those recordings were produced by Okeh house producer Clarence Williams and he also played piano. Document Records has released all of Sippie's Okeh recordings on two albums. They are available as digital downloads. Sadly Hersal Thomas died of food poisoning in 1926 at age 20. After Sippie's contract expired, she quit the music business and moved to Detroit. For years she played organ at Leland Baptist Church in Detroit. She briefly returned in 1945 recording with Albert Ammons. But other than that, she was out of the music business until another blues legend Victoria Spivey convinced her to return in the 60s. In 1966 she recorded the album Women Be Wise for Storyville Records with Roosevelt Sykes and Little Brother Montgomery on piano. This album is available on CD. Sippie continued to tour and record until she suffered a stroke while on tour in Germany. She died on Nov. 1, 1986 at age 88. Here's Sippie Wallace performing Suitcase Blues in 1966.
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