Billy Mack & Mary Mack - Okeh 8195 (1925)

I read in the liner notes of Jazz Oracle's cd compilation of Oscar "Papa" Celestin's and Sam Morgan's recordings that only 35 sides were recorded in New Orleans during the 1920s by black bands.

I'm not positive that this 78 would comprise two of those or not but here we have the early Black Vaudeville act of Billy & Mary Mack accompanied by a cornetist and pianist in 1925.

The piano player was Edgar Brown while the cornetist here is making his recording debut...Ernest "Punch" Miller.

Searching the net recently for more information on Punch Miller, I saw that there was a documentary made of him back in 1971. Surprisingly, it is available to watch here.

Billy & Mary Mack v / Punch Miller c / Edgar Brown p.

Recorded in New Orleans on January 22, 1925.

Minnie Wallace & Her Night Hawks - Vocalion 03106 (1935)

Minnie Wallace v / unknown hca / p / g / spoons.

Recorded in Jackson, Mississippi on October 12, 1935.

Charles A. Matson on Gennett / Edison / Claxtonola (1923-1924)

Not much is known about early African American jazz pianist, Charles A. Matson and it appears that almost all of his sidemen are unidentified.

Here are the complete recordings under his own name and two more as a backing band...incidentally under a misspelled name.

Now the focus shifts to finding the small handful of female blues singers he accompanied.

Recorded in New York on January 31, 1923.

Recorded in New York in July, 1923.

Charles Matson p, a, dir / 2 c / ? John Mayfield tb / ? Ernest Elliott cl, as / ? Sam Speed bj.

Recorded in New York in January, 1924.