Big Maybelle - 350 Pounds of Dynamite!
By Gary Tate, correspondent to BarrelhouseBlues.com
Gary welcomes your comments at gmtgt@yahoo.com.

Born Maybelle Smith in 1924, she was blessed by a thunderous voice that complemented her ample girth, while her poignant side was strikingly revealed on her bluesy numbers. Big Maybelle’s earliest recordings hark back to 1944 with Christine Chatman’s Orchestra, although she didn’t get really noticed until 1953’s “Gabbin’ Blues” on Okeh.
That heavy-boned lady dished out soul blasters like nobody’s business (“So Good To My Baby," “I’ve Got A Feeling," “Jinny Mule”). A dominating blues diva, she could raise goose-bumps like a bucket of ice water (“Stay Away From My Sam," “You’re Gonna Love Me," “Maybelle’s Blues," “Rain Down Rain”). Her hot rockin’ mama credentials were firmly established on “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show," “Don’t Leave Poor Me”, and especially “Whole Lot-ta Shakin’ Goin’ On” (it’s the original).
In 1954 Cash Box magazine selected Maybelle—along with Faye Adams and Dinah Washington--as one of the country’s top 3 female R&B singers.

Her Savoy sides edged her into a more mature direction, many being standards like “All of Me," “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home," and 1956’s “Candy” which became Savoy’s biggest seller ever. A mainstay on 1950’s touring package shows, Maybelle kept younger audiences jumping with solid senders like “Tell Me Who," “Ring Ding Dilly” and “That’s A Pretty Good Love."

Her last charting record was “96 Tears” from 1967. By then, deteriorating health aggravated by battles with drug addiction had virtually halted all touring. She would pass four years later.

A rare specimen, Big Maybelle displayed a marvelous facility for straddling the boundaries between Blues, Rhythm ‘n’ Blues, Pop, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.