Виктория Спиви: Королева блюза и основательница Spivey Records

American blues singer and songwriter

Victoria Regina Spivey (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976), sometimes known as Queen Victoria, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and record company founder. During a recording career that spanned 40 years, from 1926 to the mid 1960s, she worked with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell, Lonnie Johnson, and Bob Dylan. She also performed in vaudeville and clubs, sometimes with her sister Addie "Sweet Peas" (or "Sweet Pease") Spivey (August 22, 1910 – 1943), also known as the Za Zu Girl. Among her compositions are "Black Snake Blues" (1926), "Dope Head Blues" (1927), and "Organ Grinder Blues" (1928). In 1961, she co founded Spivey Records with one of her husbands, Len Kunstadt.

Born in Houston, Texas, she was the daughter of Grant and Addie (Smith) Spivey. Her father was a part time musician and a flagman for the railroad; her mother was a nurse. She had three sisters, all three of whom also sang professionally: Leona, Elton "Za Zu", and Addie "Sweet Peas" (or "Sweet Pease") Spivey (August 22, 19101943), She married four times; her husbands included Ruben Floyd, Billy Adams, and Len Kunstadt, with whom she co founded Spivey Records in 1961. Spivey's first professional experience was in a family string band led by her father in Houston. After he died, the seven year old Victoria played on her own at local parties. In 1918, she was hired to accompany films at the Lincoln Theater in Dallas. As a teenager, she worked in local bars, nightclubs, and buffet flats, mostly alone, but occasionally with singer guitarists, including Blind Lemon Jefferson. sold well, and her association with the label continued. She recorded numerous sides for Okeh in New York City until 1929, when she switched to the Victor label. Between 1931 and 1937, more recordings followed for Vocalion Records and Decca Records, A picture of her and Dylan from this period is shown on the back cover of the Dylan album, New Morning. In 1964, Spivey made her only recording with an all white band, the Connecticut based Easy Riders Jazz Band, led by the trombonist Big Bill Bissonnette. It was released first on an LP and later re released on compact disc. Spivey married four times; her husbands included Ruben Floyd, Billy Adams, and Len Kunstadt.

8338AVictoria Spivey"Black Snake Blues"May 5, 19268338BVictoria Spivey"No More Jelly Bean Blues"May 11, 19268351AVictoria Spivey"Dirty Woman's Blues"May 5, 19268351BVictoria Spivey"Long Gone Blues"May 5, 19268370AVictoria Spivey"Spider Web Blues"August 12, 19268370BVictoria Spivey"Hoodoo Man Blues"August 11, 19268389AVictoria Spivey"Humored and Petted Blues"August 12, 19268389BVictoria Spivey"Blue Valley Blues"August 16, 19268401AVictoria Spivey"Big Houston Blues"August 13, 19268401BVictoria Spivey"Got the Blues So Bad"August 13, 19268410AVictoria Spivey"Its Evil Hearted Me"August 12, 19268410BVictoria Spivey"Santa Fe Blues"August 12, 19268464Victoria Spivey"Idle Hour Blues"April 27, 19278464Victoria Spivey"Steady Grind"April 27, 19278481Victoria Spivey"Arkansas Road Blues"April 27, 19278481Victoria Spivey"Alligator Pond Went Dry"April 27, 19278494Victoria Spivey"No. 12 Let Me Roam"April 27, 19278494Victoria Spivey"T. B Blues (West End Blues)"April 27, 19278517Victoria Spivey"Christmas Morning Blues"October 28, 19278517Victoria Spivey"Garter Snake Blues"October 28, 19278531Victoria Spivey with Lonnie Johnson"Dope Head Blues"October 28, 19278531Victoria Spivey"Blood Thirsty Blues"October 31, 19278550Victoria Spivey"Jelly Look What You Done Done"November 1, 19278550Victoria Spivey"Red Lantern Blues"October 28, 19278565Victoria Spivey"A Good Man is Hard to Find"November 1, 19278565Victoria Spivey"Your Worries Ain't Like Mine"November 1, 19278581Victoria Spivey"Nightmare Blues"October 31, 19278581Victoria Spivey"Murder in the First Degree"October 31, 19278615Victoria Spivey"My Handy Man"September 12, 19288615Victoria Spivey"Organ Grinder Blues"September 12, 19288626Victoria Spivey"New Black Snake Blues Part 2"October 13, 19288626Victoria Spivey"New Black Snake Blues"October 13, 19288634Victoria Spivey"No Papa No"October 17, 19288634Victoria Spivey"Mosquito Fly and Flea"October 18, 19288652Victoria Spivey/Lonnie Johnson"Furniture Man #2 Blues"October 18, 19288652Victoria Spivey"Furniture Man Blues"October 18, 19288713Victoria Spivey"How Do They Do It That Way"July 10, 19298713Victoria Spivey"Funny Feathers"July 10, 19298733Victoria Spivey"You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now"July 3, 19298744ALonnie Johnson/Victoria Spivey"Toothache Blues"October 17, 19288744BLonnie Johnson/Victoria Spivey"Toothache Blues #2"October 18, 1928