Ida Cox

Ida Cox

Source: Jonathan Bogart

Born in Georgia on 26 February of 1896 or 1898, Ida Cox began recording blues in 1923. Cox had begun her career at age fourteen, leaving home to tour with White and Clark's Black & Tan Minstrels. She worked with several minstrel shows, most notably the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, while gaining experience in vaudeville. By 1920 she had largely put vaudeville behind her, now headlining as a blues singer, which performing with Jelly Roll Morton that year pretty much nailed. Since Mamie Smith was already "Queen of the Blues" Cox was billed as the "Uncrowned Queen of the Blues" when she began recording for Paramount in 1923. Another main rival in early black female blues was Bessie Smith who went by "Empress of the Blues". Cox also assumed pseudonyms like Kate Lewis or Velma Bradley. Discogs has her on issues as plain old Jane Smith (Paramount) in 1923 as well as Julia Powers and Her Blues Serenaders (Harmograph).

Cox recorded her first issues with Lovie Austin at piano in June of 1923. Those were 'Any Woman's Blues', ''Bama Bound Blues' and 'Lovin' Is the Thing I'm Wild About' issued on Paramount 12053 and 12045. That same month they put down tracks as Ida Cox with Lovie Austin and Her Blues Serenaders titled 'Graveyard Dream Blues' and 'Weary Way Blues' toward release on Paramount 12044. Cox and Austin with the Blues Serenaders remained a team into 1926. Blues often invent any silly thing at all to have something sing the dumps about, but tracks by Cox below include some darker subject matter.

'Graveyard Dream Blues'   Ida Cox w Lovie Austin & Her Blues Serenaders

Recorded June 1923 in Chicago   Paramount 12044

Cornet: Tommy Ladnier   Clarinet: Jimmy O'Bryant

Alto sax: prob Arville Harris   Piano: Lovie Austin

Tom Lord mentions pseudonyms for this session as Jane Smith, Julia Powers and Goldie Hall & Her Blues Serenaders

Composition: Ida Cox

'Worried Mama Blues'   Ida Cox w Lovie Austin & Her Blues Serenaders

Recorded 12 Dec 1923 in Chicago   Paramount 12085

Cornet: Tommy Ladnier   Clarinet: Jimmy O'Bryant   Piano: Lovie Austin

Composition: Lovie Austin

'Wild Women Don't Have the Blues'   Ida Cox w Lovie Austin & Her Blues Serenaders

Recorded July or August 1924 in Chicago   Paramount 12228

Cornet: Tommy Ladnier   Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lovie Austin

Composition: Ida Cox

'Coffin Blues'   Ida Cox

Recorded Sep 1925 in Chicago   Paramount 12318

Cornet: King Oliver   Organ: Jesse Crump

Composition: Aletha Dickerson / Rose Taylor

''Fore Day Creep'   Ida Cox w Jesse Crump (organ)

Recorded c July 1927 in Chicago   Paramount 12488

Composition: Ida Cox

In latter 1929 Cox and her husband, Jesse Crump, put together a tent show called 'Raisin' Cain' which enjoyed great popularity for nearly a decade during which time she was billed as the "Sepia Mae West". She made no recordings during this period until 'Four Day Creep' and 'Low Down Dirty Shame' in December 1938 after which she assembled her All-Stars. 'Four Day Creep' is ''Fore Day Creep' of 1927 retitled. References to Meritt 5 below refer to the album, 'Red Allen & James P. Johnson', compiled in 1979.

'One Hour Mama'   Ida Cox & Her All-Star Band

Recorded 31 Oct 1939 in NYC   1 of 4 complete takes   None issued

All in later compilations: Meritt 5 (LP) / Mosaic MD6-262 (CD) / Rosetta RR1300 (CD)

Trumpet: Hot Lips Page   Trombone: J. C. Higginbotham   Clarinet: Edmond Hall

Piano: James P. Johnson   Electric guitar: Charlie Christian   

String bass: Artie Bernstein   Drums: Lionel Hampton   

Vocalion files for this session show Ida Cox & Her All-Star Orchestra directed by Red Allen

 Vocalion ledgers for this session show Ida Cox & Her Boys of Blue

Composition: Ida Cox

'Last Mile Blues'   Ida Cox & Her All-Star Orchestra

Recorded 31 Oct 1939 in NYC   1 of 2 takes each issued on Okeh 6405 or Meritt 5 (1979)

Trumpet: Red Allen   Trombone: J. C. Higginbotham   Clarinet: Edmond Hall

Piano: Cliff Jackson   String bass: Billy Taylor Sr   Drums: Jimmy Hoskins   

Composition: Jesse Crump / Ida Cox

'I Can't Quit That Man'   Ida Cox & Her All-Star Orchestra

Recorded 20 Dec 1940 in NYC   1 of 3 takes each issued variously including Okeh 6405 and Meritt 5 (1979)

Trumpet: Red Allen   Trombone: J. C. Higginbotham   Clarinet: Edmond Hall

Piano: Cliff Jackson   String bass: Billy Taylor Sr   Drums: Jimmy Hoskins   

Composition: Brown / Cox / Glascoe

In 1945 Cox suffered a stroke during a show which forced her into retirement with the exception of the film, 'Woman's a Fool' in 1947. Retreating to a quiet life in Knoxville, Tennessee, Cox made one last record in 1961, the album titled 'Blues For Rampart Street'.

'Four Day Creep'   Ida Cox backed by Jesse Crump (piano)

From the film 'Woman's a Fool' released Aug 1947   

Composition: Ida Cox ('Fore Day Creep' 1927)

'Death Letter Blues'   Ida Cox

Recorded 11 April 1961 in NYC   Album: 'Blues for Rampart Street' Riverside RLP374

Trumpet: Roy Eldridge   Tenor sax: Coleman Hawkins   Piano: Sammy Price

String bass: Milt Hinton   Drums: Papa Jo Jones   

Composition: Jesse Crump / Ida Cox

Cox died on 10 November 1967 in Knoxville, Tennessee.