Annette Hanshaw - Am I Blue (1929)

Performed by: Annette Hanshaw

Full Song Title: Am I Blue

Recorded in: 1929

Catherine Annette Hanshaw was born on October 18, 1901 to Frank Wayne Hanshaw (1873–1927) and Mary Gertrude McCoy (1874–1959) in their residence in Manhattan. She had two brothers, George and Frank.

Her aunt and uncle, Nellie McCoy and Bob "Uke" Hanshaw, were vaudeville performers. She sang for guests at hotels owned by her father and demo-ed sheet music at her family's music store, The Melody Shop, in Mount Kisco, Westchester County, New York. Hanshaw aspired to be a portrait painter, studying at the National School of Design for a year. Her professional music career started when she was paid to sing for society and birthday parties.

Before recording, in 1926, Hanshaw sang on local radio stations while visiting Florida with her family. Her first recording was a demo for Pathé featuring a medley of popular songs. Her first commercial recordings, "Black Bottom" and "Six Feet of Papa," were recorded on September 12 and 18. She recorded for Pathé until 1928; Pathé released her records on both the Pathé and the Perfect labels.

Starting in June 1928, she recorded for Columbia; most of these recordings were issued on their dime-store labels Harmony, Diva, Clarion and Velvet Tone. A handful were also released on their regular-priced Columbia and OKeh labels. Although most were released under her name, she was renamed Gay Ellis (for sentimental numbers) and Dot Dare or Patsy Young (for her Helen Kane impersonations). She recorded under a number of other pseudonyms, including Ethel Bingham, Marion Lee, Janet Shaw, and Lelia Sandford.

Starting in August 1932, she began recording for ARC; her recordings were issued on their Melotone, Perfect, Conqueror, Oriole and Romeo labels. Her final session, on February 3, 1934, was placed on ARC's Vocalion label.

Throughout her recording career, she sang with the Original Memphis Five, Willard Robison's Deep River Orchestra, Sam Lanin's Orchestra, Lou Gold's Orchestra, and Rudy Vallée's Connecticut Yankees. She had been accompanied by Red Nichols, Miff Mole, Phil Napoleon, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Adrian Rollini, Vic Berton, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden, and Irving Brodsky.

Hanshaw began appearing on the radio in 1929. In the early 1930s, she sang on the air with Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. From 1932 to 1934, she was featured on the popular Thursday evening radio program Maxwell House Show Boat. She made her only appearance on film in the 1933 Paramount short Captain Henry's Radio Show.

Hanshaw's singing style was relaxed and suited to the jazz-influenced pop music of the late 1920s and early 1930s. She combined the voice of an ingenue with the spirit of a flapper. She was known as "The Personality Girl", and her trademark was saying "That's all" in a cheery voice at the end of many of her records. Hanshaw had a low opinion of her voice, and she said was afraid of broadcasting. When asked why, she said, "I'm so afraid I'll fail, not sing my best. Suppose I should have to cough. Suppose I didn't get just the right pitch. And all those people listening." Hanshaw's favorite singers were Marion Harris, Sophie Tucker, and Blossom Seeley. She also enjoyed her contemporaries, Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, and Connee Boswell. She composed two songs, "Sweet One" and "Till Your Happiness Comes Along."

Hanshaw disliked show business. Working against her success was the fact that she was an introvert by nature, and had no real interest, apart from the money, in being considered a national treasure. She reportedly enjoyed the company of people in the business and respected the outstanding musicians she loved to work with but she was never egotistic and thought that all of her records were terrible and that she would be found out as someone with no real musical talent. She avoided listening to her recordings, now considered great classics of the twenties early jazz, calling them "dreadful and corny." Nonetheless she married the man who had discovered her for Pathe and quickly retired from the business to raise a family. Her music career ended on December 6, 1937, after a performance on The Chevrolet Musical Moments Revue.

Her husband died in 1954 and she eventually remarried. She died in New York of natural causes at the age of 85 in Manhattan.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.

Best wishes,
Stu
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