Hociel Thomas
Hociel Thomas (July 10, 1904 – August 22, 1952) was an American blues singer in the classic female blues style. She was born in Houston, Texas. Her father, George W. Thomas, was a musician, songwriter, and music publisher. About 1916 she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana to live with her aunt, the blues singer Sippie Wallace. She began performing, often with Sippie Wallace, at local parties and in the Storyville red-light district. She moved to Chicago ca. 1924, where she worked in local clubs and theatres until the early 1930s. In 1925 she recorded for Gennett Records, and in 1925–26 she recorded several sides for the Okeh label. Her accompanists on the Okeh recordings included Louis Armstrong and her teenaged uncle Hersal Thomas, whose piano is heard on "Fish Tail Dance" and four other sides. During the years of the Great Depression her career diminished, and she worked outside the field of music. In the early 1940s she moved to Oakland, California. In 1946 she recorded seven songs with Mutt Carey for the Circle label, which were her last recordings. She worked with Kid Ory's Orchestra in San Francisco In 1948. In 1948 or 1949, she engaged in a brawl with one of her sisters in which she lost her eyesight and her sister was killed. Charged with manslaughter, she was tried and acquitted. She died of heart disease on August 22, 1952. |
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Birth and Death Data: Born July 10, 1904 (Houston), Died August 22, 1952 (Oakland)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1926
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto, lyricist, composer, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OKeh | 8491 | 10-in. | Oct. 1923 | Shorty George blues | Eddie Heywood ; Sippie Wallace | Female vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
OKeh | 9167 | 10-in. | May 1925 | Worried down with the blues | Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with piano | songwriter, vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9168 | 10-in. | May 1925 | Fish tail dance | Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9471 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | Gambler's dream | Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9472 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | Sunshine baby | Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9473 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | Adam and Eve had the blues | Louis Armstrong's Jazz Four ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9474 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | Put it where I can get it | Louis Armstrong's Jazz Four ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9475 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | Wash woman blues | Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9476 | 10-in. | 11/11/1925 | I've stopped my man | Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9519 | 10-in. | 2/24/1926 | Deep water blues | Louis Armstrong ; Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9520 | 10-in. | 2/24/1926 | G'wan I told you (She just won't have) | Louis Armstrong ; Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9521 | 10-in. | 2/24/1926 | Listen to Ma | Louis Armstrong ; Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto | |
OKeh | 9522 | 10-in. | 2/24/1926 | Lonesome hours | Louis Armstrong ; Hersal Thomas ; Hociel Thomas | Female vocal solo, with trumpet and piano | composer, lyricist, vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Thomas, Hociel," accessed May 30, 2023, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109151.
Thomas, Hociel. (2023). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109151.
"Thomas, Hociel." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2023. Web. 30 May 2023.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Thomas, Hociel - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no91020825
Wikidata: Hociel Thomas - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1622571
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/61749945
MusicBrainz: Hociel Thomas - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d97171be-764a-415b-b91d-6b5683973f93
ISNI: 0000 0000 3906 8118 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000039068118
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