Alberta Hunter

A "classic" blues singer with a vaudeville background, Alberta Hunter began recording in the 1920s with some of the most famous jazzmen of her day (Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Fats Waller...). Her success took her to London, where she sang in chic salons and theaters, and even made films (Radio Parade Of, in 1935). Alberta recorded extensively in the '40s ("My Castle's Rockin'" , "The Love I Have For You"), continued her theatrical career after the war in England, and sang in Korea for American troops. Just when she was thinking of retiring, her "Remember My Name", sung in the film of the same name, won her a resurgence of favor that kept her active until her death, playing the dignified and experienced old lady. Her style, very popular in the early days of the blues, gradually disappeared. It did, however, influence such important artists of the '30s to '50s as Cil' Green and Billie Holiday. Since then, in the '80s, singers such as Jeanne Carroll, Jeanne Cheatham and Olivia Brown have drawn inspiration from this tradition.