Sara Martin
Sara Martin (June 18, 1884 – May 24, 1955) was an American blues singer, in her time one of the most popular of the classic blues singers. She was billed as "The Famous Moanin' Mama" and "The Colored Sophie Tucker". She made many recordings, including a few under the names Margaret Johnson and Sally Roberts. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Louisville (county seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States), Died May 24, 1955 (Louisville (county seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1922 - 1927
Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto, songwriter, composer, lyricist, leader, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 140 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 80678 | 10-in. | 11/18/1922 | I loved you once but you stayed away too long | Brownskin Syncopators ; Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 80679 | 10-in. | 11/18/1922 | 'Tain't nobody's biz-ness if I do | Brownskin Syncopators ; Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto | |
| Columbia | 80995 | 10-in. | 4/28/1923 | Mama's got the blues | Fletcher Henderson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | songwriter | |
| Columbia | 81253 | 10-in. | 10/2/1923 | Uncle Sam blues | Fletcher Henderson ; Clara Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | songwriter | |
| Columbia | 81840 | 10-in. | 6/24/1924 | Squabblin' blues | The Four Spades | Jazz/dance instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| OKeh | 8582 | 10-in. | 3/19/1924 | Everybody's got the blues | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with banjo-guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 8583 | 10-in. | 3/19/1924 | My man blues | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with banjo-guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 8584 | 10-in. | 3/19/1924 | Pleading blues | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with banjo-guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 8585 | 10-in. | 3/19/1924 | Every woman needs a man | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 8593 | Not documented | March 1924 | [Unknown title(s)] | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | 8594 | Not documented | March 1924 | [Unknown title(s)] | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | 8595 | 10-in. | March 1924 | Got to leave my home blues | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 8596 | 10-in. | March 1924 | Poor me blues | Sara Martin ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with banjo-guitar | vocalist, contralto, songwriter | |
| OKeh | 9022 | Not documented | March 1925 | [Unknown title(s)] | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | 9023 | 10-in. | March 1925 | Can't find nobody to do like my old daddy do | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, contralto, composer | |
| OKeh | 9024 | 10-in. | March 1925 | I'm sorry blues | Sara Martin ; Charles Washington ; Sylvester Weaver | Female vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, contralto, composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | 9025 | 10-in. | March 1925 | Daddy, ease this pain of mine | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with banjo and guitar | vocalist, contralto, composer | |
| OKeh | 9029 | 10-in. | March 1925 | Strange lovin' blues | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, contralto, composer | |
| OKeh | 9030 | 10-in. | March 1925 | I can always tell when a man is treatin' me cool | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, contralto, composer | |
| OKeh | 9708 | 10-in. | 6/14/1926 | Late last night blues | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, lyricist | |
| OKeh | 9709 | 10-in. | 6/14/1926 | Some sweet day | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, contralto, lyricist | |
| OKeh | 9739 | 10-in. | 6/17/1926 | John said he saw a number | Arizona Dranes ; Richard M. Jones ; Sara Martin | Mixed vocal trio, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | S-70934 | Not documented | Oct. 1922 | [Unknown title(s)] | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | S-70935 | 10-in. | Oct. 1922 | Sugar blues | Sara Martin ; Clarence Williams | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto | |
| OKeh | S-70990 | 10-in. | 11/30/1922 | Achin' hearted blues | Sara Martin ; Clarence Williams | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, contralto |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Martin, Sara," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109156.
Martin, Sara. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109156.
"Martin, Sara." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sara Martin
Discogs: Sara Martin
Allmusic: Sara Martin
Grove: Sara Martin
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Martin, Sara, 1884-1955 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no91020964
Wikidata: Sara Martin - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q530846
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/39572681
MusicBrainz: Sara Martin - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/63549d1d-1c71-4464-b756-8d38a0c422b4
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1501115 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1501115
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