Louise Massey

Louise Massey (born Victoria Louise Massey; 10 August 1902 – 20 June 1983, in San Angelo, Texas), American singer and songwriter born in Midland, Texas. The Massey family left Texas while Louise Massey was very young and she grew up near Roswell in Lincoln County, New Mexico. In 1918, Louise's father, Henry Massey, started a band that featured himself and three of his eight children singing and playing musical instruments. Most of the children were able to play several instruments while dressed in “elaborate cowboy outfits as their stage attire,” Louise played piano and sang. The Massey’s music career began in 1920s, when they played and sang at local shows and church socials. At the age of 15, Louise married Milton Mabie, who also joined the group.

In 1930, the quintet known as "the Westerners" included Louise, Curt and Allen Massey, Milton Mabie, and Larry Wellington, who had replaced Henry Massey. Louise, with her flamboyant Spanish-style costumes, became the focal point of the act and received lead billing. The Westerners' first radio performance was on KMBC in Kansas City. They moved to WLS Radio in Chicago in 1933. In 1934, the song "When the White Azaleas Start Blooming" was released by the band and sold three million copies. In 1936, they moved to New York where they continued their radio work on NBC. In 1938, Louise Massey and the Westerners appeared in the Tex Ritter movie Where the Buffalo Roam. The group returned to WLS Radio in 1939 and did a morning broadcast on NBC called "Reveille Roundup."

In the early 1940s, the Westerners were "well known for numerous radio appearances" and were appearing on Plantation Party broadcasts three nights a week. Louise Massey recorded for several record labels including Vocalion Records, OKeh Records, and Conqueror Records.

Massey's house in Roswell is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Birth and Death Data: Born Midland, Died June 20, 1983 (San Angelo)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1933 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, vocalist, harmony vocal, songwriter, speaker, lead vocal, piano, guitar, celeste

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 121 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor D7VB-0036 10-in. 1/7/1947 My adobe hacienda Pecos River Rogues ; Billy Williams [1913-2001] Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble songwriter  
Victor D7VB-0740 10-in. 5/18/1947 My adobe hacienda Lonzo and Oscar ; Winston County Pea Pickers Male vocal duet, with string band songwriter  
Columbia C639 10-in. 10/13/1933 The cowboy's dream Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with male vocal solo vocalist, harmony vocal  
Columbia C640 10-in. 10/13/1933 New river train Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with group vocal vocalist  
Columbia C641 10-in. 10/13/1933 Trail to Mexico Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C642 10-in. 10/13/1933 The big corral Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with male vocal solo vocalist, instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia C668 10-in. 11/21/1933 The cowboy's dream Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C669 10-in. 11/21/1933 The trail to Mexico Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with group vocal vocalist  
Columbia C786 10-in. 11/6/1934 Shorty's nightmare Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C787 10-in. 11/6/1934 Beautiful Texas Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with female vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C788 10-in. 11/6/1934 Nobody to love Louise Massey ; The Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with female vocal solo vocalist, lead vocal  
Columbia C789 10-in. 11/6/1934 Rancho grande Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C808 10-in. 11/8/1934 My gal on the Rio Grande Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C809 10-in. 11/8/1934 The Santa Fe Trail Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia C812 10-in. 11/8/1934 Round-up time in Heaven Westerners (Massey Family) String band vocalist  
Columbia C813 10-in. 11/8/1934 Hot romance Massey Family String band instrumentalist, piano  
Columbia C838 10-in. 11/14/1934 If Jesse James rode again Massey Family String band, with group vocal quartet vocalist  
Columbia C844 10-in. 11/14/1934 Song of the lariat Westerners (Massey Family) String band, with group vocal vocalist  
Columbia CP1001 10-in. 3/20/1933 There's an empty cot in the bunkhouse tonight The Westerners [Massey Family] String band with group vocal vocalist  
Columbia CP1002 10-in. 3/22/1934 Ridin' down that old Texas trail Westerners (Massey Family) Vocal ensemble, with string band  
Columbia CP1003 10-in. 3/22/1934 Goin' down to Santa Fe town Westerners (Massey Family) Vocal ensemble, with string band vocalist  
Columbia CP1004 10-in. 3/20/1934 When the white azaleas start blooming Louise Massey ; The Westerners [Massey Family] Female vocal solo, with string band vocalist  
Columbia CP1005 10-in. 3/20/1934 Old pinto Westerners [Massey Family] String band with unknown vocal vocalist  
Columbia CP1006 10-in. 3/20/1934 When it's prayer meetin' time in the hollow The Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with female vocal solo vocalist  
Columbia CP1007 10-in. 3/21/1934 Rounded up in glory Westerners [Massey Family] String band, with male vocal solo vocalist  
(Results 1-25 of 121 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Massey, Louise," accessed January 3, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359237.

Massey, Louise. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 3, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359237.

"Massey, Louise." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 3 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/359237

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.