Georgia White

Georgia White (9 March 1903 – c.1980) was an American blues singer, most prolific in the 1930s and 1940s.

Little is known of her early life, but it has been suggested that she was born in Sandersville, Georgia. By the late 1920s she was singing in clubs in Chicago. She made her first recording, "When You're Smiling, the Whole World Smiles With You," with Jimmie Noone's orchestra in 1930. She returned to the studio in 1935, and over the next six years recorded over 100 tracks for Decca Records, usually accompanied by the pianist Richard M. Jones and also, in the late 1930s, by the guitarist Lonnie Johnson.

She also recorded under the name Georgia Lawson. Her tracks included "I'll Keep Sitting on It," "Take Me for a Buggy Ride," "Mama Knows What Papa Wants When Papa's Feeling Blue," and "Hot Nuts." Her best-known song was "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now" (1935).

White formed an all-female band in the 1940s. She also performed with Bumble Bee Slim and Gassy Slaps. She joined Big Bill Broonzy's Laughing Trio in 1949 as pianist. "She was very easy to get along with," said Broonzy, "real friendly." She was a club singer in the 1950s, finally performing in 1959 in Chicago. She then resumed performing on weekends at the Blue Pub, a bar on Irving Park Road near the Kennedy Expressway, where she quickly won a loyal following. She sang many of her famous songs, including "Maybe I'm Wrong Again," a ballad from an early Bing Crosby movie.

One of her songs, "Alley Boogie" (recorded in 1937), was used as the theme music for the British romantic comedy drama series, Love Soup.

White's version of "Hot Nuts" was featured in the 2022 film, Jackass Forever.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 9, 1903 (Sandersville), Died 1980

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1930 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, piano

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 99 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 65600 10-in. 5/18/1939 Fire in the mountain Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65601 10-in. 5/18/1939 When the red sun turns to gray (I'll be back) Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65652 10-in. 5/26/1939 Hydrant love Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65653 10-in. 5/26/1939 Do it again Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65654 10-in. 5/26/1939 Beggin' my Daddy Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65655 10-in. 5/26/1939 What have you done to me Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 65656 10-in. 5/26/1939 Take me for a buggy ride Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 67563 10-in. 4/18/1940 Jazzin' babies blues Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 67564 10-in. 4/18/1940 Papa pleaser Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 67575 10-in. 4/18/1940 Sensation blues Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 67576 10-in. 4/18/1940 Late hour blues Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 67577 10-in. 4/18/1940 Panama limited blues Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 67578 10-in. 4/18/1940 You ought to be ashamed of yourself Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 90154 10-in. 7/15/1935 Honey dripper blues Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90155 10-in. 7/15/1935 Freddie blues Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90156 10-in. 7/15/1935 Easy rider blues Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90157 10-in. 7/15/1935 Graveyard blues Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90309 10-in. 9/7/1935 Your worries ain't like mine No.2 Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 90310 10-in. 9/7/1935 You done lost your good thing now No.2 Georgia White vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 90715 10-in. 5/11/1936 New Dupree blues Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90716 10-in. 5/11/1936 Daddy let me lay it on you Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90717 10-in. 5/11/1936 New hot nuts Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90718 10-in. 5/11/1936 It must be love Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90719 10-in. 5/12/1936 I just want your stingaree Georgia White vocalist  
Decca 90720 10-in. 5/12/1936 Black rider Georgia White vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 99 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "White, Georgia," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110377.

White, Georgia. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110377.

"White, Georgia." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110377

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