Helen Humes
Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Louisville, Died September 13, 1981 (Santa Monica)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1952
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, lyricist, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 36 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh | W80803 | 10-in. | 4/30/1927 | Black cat blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W80804 | 10-in. | 4/30/1927 | Jam up too tight | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W80805 | 10-in. | 4/30/1927 | A worried woman's blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W80806 | 10-in. | 4/30/1927 | Stomping Weaver's blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81869 | 10-in. | 11/26/1927 | If Papa has outside lovin' | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81870 | 10-in. | 11/26/1927 | Do what you did last night | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81871 | 10-in. | 11/26/1927 | Everybody does it now | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81872 | 10-in. | 11/26/1927 | Cross-eyed blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81873 | 10-in. | 11/26/1927 | Garlic blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81880 | 10-in. | 11/27/1927 | Alligator blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81881 | 10-in. | 11/27/1927 | Nappy headed blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist | |
| OKeh | W81882 | 10-in. | 11/27/1927 | Race horse blues | Helen Humes | Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars | vocalist | |
| Brunswick | B22083 | 10-in. | 12/1/1937 | Jubilee | Harry James Orchestra ; Helen Humes | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Brunswick | B22085 | 10-in. | 12/1/1937 | (I can dream) can't I? | Harry James Orchestra ; Helen Humes | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Brunswick | B22250 | 10-in. | 1/5/1938 | Song of the wanderer (Where shall I go) | Harry James Orchestra ; Helen Humes | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Brunswick | B22251 | 10-in. | 1/5/1938 | It's the dreamer in me | Harry James Orchestra ; Helen Humes | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
| Mercury | 861 | 10-in. | 4/2/1947 | I just refuse to sing the blues | Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Helen Humes | vocalist | ||
| Mercury | 862 | 10-in. | 4/2/1947 | They raided the joint | Buck Clayton's Orchestra ; Helen Humes | vocalist | ||
| Mercury | 1810 | 10-in. | March, 1948 | Time out for tears | Buck Clayton ; Helen Humes | vocalist | ||
| Mercury | 1811 | 10-in. | 1948 | Married man blues | Helen Humes | vocalist, lyricist | ||
| Decca | 64746 | 10-in. | 11/16/1938 | Dark rapture | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64851 | 10-in. | 1/5/1939 | My heart belongs to Daddy | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64852 | 10-in. | 1/5/1939 | Sing for your supper | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64981 | 10-in. | 2/3/1939 | Blame it on my last affair | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 64983 | 10-in. | 2/4/1939 | Thursday-1 | Count Basie Orchestra | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Humes, Helen," accessed December 15, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104512.
Humes, Helen. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 15, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104512.
"Humes, Helen." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 15 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Helen Humes
Discogs: Helen Humes
Allmusic: Helen Humes
IMDb: Helen Humes
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Humes, Helen - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84040734
Wikidata: Helen Humes - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q129252
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/37102106
MusicBrainz: Helen Humes - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/60e492fd-d953-4de0-a6d1-2d5d27f2e0bb
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/134804 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/134804
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