Billie Maxwell
Billie Maxwell (1906–1954) is often said to be the first woman recorded in country music, and the first recorded musician from Arizona but she was actually neither: Rosa Lee Carson, the daughter of Fiddlin' John Carson (one of the first recorded country music acts) and professionally known as 'Moonshine Kate' cut the first recorded country music records by a woman during a June, 1925 session for Okeh records. Billie Maxwell played guitar with The White Mountain Orchestra and recorded six sides solo for the Victor Talking Machine Company in July, 1929 following the recordings made by the White Mountain Orchestra, which made her PART of the first recorded country music act in Arizona, and ARIZONA'S first recorded female country singer. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 1, 1906, Died 1954
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, arranger
Notes: Shown on disc labels as "Billie Maxwell, the Cow Girl Singer."
= 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-53294 | 10-in. | 7/2/1929 | Billy Venero | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, arranger | |
| Victor | BVE-53295 | 10-in. | 7/2/1929 | Billy Venero | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, arranger, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-55231 | 10-in. | 7/11/1929 | The Arizona girl I left behind me | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-55232 | 10-in. | 7/11/1929 | The cowboy's wife | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-55233 | 10-in. | 7/11/1929 | When your sweetheart waits for you, Jack | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BVE-55234 | 10-in. | 7/11/1929 | Haunted hunter | Billie Maxwell | Female vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) and violin | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, arranger |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Maxwell, Billie," accessed April 15, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/115435.
Maxwell, Billie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/115435.
"Maxwell, Billie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 15 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Billie Maxwell
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Maxwell, Billie - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010176866
Wikidata: Billie Maxwell - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q862843
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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