"Complete Recorded Works, vol. 1" by Ida Cox (1923)

Although Empress Bessie Smith might be literary the only one still remembered from all her 1920s contemporaries, the field of classic Blues - that curious moment in popular music history when vaudeville artists collaborations with Jazz artists were recorded for the first time and simultaneously launched not just a new music trend that was nicknamed "Blues"  but also careers of first black music superstars - was filled with great talents and if you scratch the surface, the genre can be wondrous treasure of interesting music that, preserved on records, shows how much we were subsequently influenced with it and how, even with a century between us, spiritually we are very much connected with these great trailblazers.

This generous and lovingly assembled compilation of her complete 1923. recordings presents great Ida Cox in a full glory of her power. Although coming from basically very much the same background as both Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith (they all escaped crushing poverty and racism of deep South, performed in travelling minstrel shows and went trough apprenticeship in famous tent show Rabbit Foot Minstrels) Cox was not influenced by them, in fact her music persona was so strongly defined that there is nobody around like her - if Rainey was a good-hearted mother of Blues and Smith had that spectacularly powerful voice, Cox was the genres first true vamp who boasted about her sexual appetites and independence. Sure, all three were by sheer force of necessity self-made businesswomen and shared similar fierce spirit but once you hear Cox, its clear how much everybody else followed in her footsteps. Because at the time when she recorded these, her first recordings in 1923 Cox was already a seasoned performer (she run away with travelling show at fourteen) what we hear here is grown woman with completely polished and carefully created image of big, bad sexy mama who not only faces her lover but demands her satisfaction. "Love me daddy, love me all the time, love me till I pass away"  she sings in famous "Lovin' Is The Thing I'm Wild About"  and little later claims "I Love My Man Better Than I Love Myself".  With her instantly recognizable, strong nasal voice and Lovie Austin playing piano behind her, Cox is truly in her element - most of these recordings are piano-and-voice only but towards the end of 1923 "Paramount records" gave her support of solid Jazz band, however singer is constantly in the spotlight as true "Uncrowned Queen of Blues" which was not just promotional gimmick but surprisingly honest description of her talent - she was giant in her field and deserves to be remembered.

Perhaps inadvertently, Cox inspired later movie star Mae West who basically created her man-eating, sex symbol image by soaking in Ida Cox music and  later in 1939 you can find opening line of Cox's "Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues"  deferentially quoted by Billie Holiday on her own recording titled "Long Gone Blues" ("Tell me pretty daddy, what's the matter now, are you trying to quit me and you don't know how"). As Holiday is now acknowledged Jazz icon with countless followers and imitators, its fascinating to note that even she tipped her hat to this wonderful lady from Georgia who was her brave predecessor.