Eva Taylor (January 22, 1895 — October 31, 1977) was a talented entertainer and Blues singer and was one of the first African-American singers to be heard on radio. She started out as child actor in a traveling revue that toured the world visiting Europe, Australia and New Zealand between 1900 and 1920. In 1920 she moved to New York City, where she became a popular singer in the night clubs of Harlem. The following year she married pianist, publisher and producer Clarence Williams.
The couple collaborated on many projects, including dozens of songs, a musical revue called “Bottomland”, and radio programs. They remained married until Williams’ death in 1965. In 1922 Taylor made her first record for the African-American owned Black Swan label, who billed her as “The Dixie Nightingale”. She would continue to record dozens of Blues, Jazz and popular sides for Okeh and Columbia throughout the 1920s and 1930s. She was the lead singer on several of Williams’ classic Blue Five recording dates, including the famous sessions that brought Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet together in 1924 and 1925. During the late 1920s Eva had her own radio show on NBC in New York. She retired from show business in the early 1940s, but continued to make occasional concert and night club appearances. The actor Clarence Williams III of Mod Squad fame is Eva and Clarence’s grandson.
Thanks to Bob Palmer for his help with this page.
| Eva Taylor and Clarence Williams Band | Irene Gibbons and her Jazz Band |
| The Riffers | Eva Taylor’s Southernaires |
| Eva Taylor accompanied by Clarence Williams’ Blue Five | |
| Eva Taylor accompanied by Clarence Williams’ Trio | |
| Irene Gibbons accompanied by Clarence Williams’ Jazz Band | |
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| Baby Won’t You Please Come Home (Charles Warfield / Clarence Williams) |
11-25-1922 | New York, New York | Okeh 4740 |
| Barefoot Blues (Clarence Williams) |
5-30-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8073-A |
| Charleston Hound | 7-1-1926 | New York, New York | Okeh 40655 |
| Cast Away (J. Brown / S. Easton / J. Stewart) |
3-4-1925 | New York, New York | Okeh 40330 |
| Church Street Sobbing Blues (Anton Lada / Yellow Nuņez / Joe Cawley) |
5-21-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8069 |
| Do It Again Long Time Papa (W. Benton Overstreet) |
5-30-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8073-B |
| Down Hearted Blues Piano Accompaniment by Clarence Williams (Lovie Austin / Alberta Hunter) |
1-10-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8047-A |
| Farewell Blues (Elmer Schoebel / Paul Mares / Leon Roppolo) |
5-18-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 3055 |
| From Now On Blues (J.C. Johnson / Roland Irving) |
5-18-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8069 |
| Gulf Coast Blues (Clarence Williams) |
5-18-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 3055 |
| Happy Days and Lonely Nights | New York, New York | Okeh 8665 |
|
| Have You Ever Felt That Way? (Castleton / Clarence Williams / Centralto) |
New York, New York | Edison 52646-L |
|
| Hesitation Blues with Sara Martin (Billy Smythe / Scott Middleton) |
7-7-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8082 |
| I’m Going Away Just To Wear You Off My Mind Piano Accompaniment by Clarence Williams (Charlie Johnson / Warren Smith / Lloyd Smith) |
2-12-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8051-B |
| If You Want The Rainbow (You Must Have Rain) (Rose / Dixon / Levant) |
New York, New York | Okeh 8665 |
|
| I’m Gonna See You When You Come (Jonathan Spikes / Benjamin Spikes) |
5-29-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8068 |
| Irresistible Blues Accompaniment by Clarence Williams Trio (George E. Jefferson) |
New York, New York | Okeh 8129-B |
|
| I Wish I Could Shimmy Like Sister Kate (A.J. Piron) |
11-25-1922 | New York, New York | Okeh 4740 |
| Jazzin Babies Blues Accompaniment by Clarence Williams Trio (Richard M. Jones) |
New York, New York | Okeh 8129-A |
|
| Last Go Round Blues. (Cox) |
2-7-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3834 |
| May We Meet Again (Eva Taylor / Clarence Williams) |
11-4-1927 | New York, New York | Okeh 8518 |
| Midnight Blues (A Wee Hour Chant) (Babe Thompson / Spencer Williams) |
New York, New York | Victor 19124-A | |
| My Different Kind Of Man (Jack Palmer / Clarence Williams) |
7-31-1928 | New York, New York | Okeh 41104 |
| My Pillow And Me (Tim Brymn / Chris Smith / Clarence Williams) |
1-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3834 |
| My Pillow And Me Piano Accompaniment by Clarence Williams (Tim Brymn / Chris Smith / Clarence Williams) |
2-17-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8051-A |
| New Moon (Clarence Williams) |
9-1922 | New York, New York | Black Swan 2103-B |
| Nobody But My Baby Is Getting My Love (Clarence Williams / Andy Razaf) |
New York, New York | Okeh | |
| Old Fashioned Love (From the musical comedy “Runnin’ Wild”) (James P. Johnson / Cecil Mack) |
New York, New York | Okeh 8114-A |
|
| Open Your Heart | New York, New York | Okeh 8114-B |
|
| Original Charleston Strut Acc By Clarence Williams Blue Four | 8-11-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8089 |
| Papa De Da-da (Clarence Williams / Clarence Todd / Spencer Williams) |
3-4-1925 | New York, New York | Okeh 40330 |
| She’s Gone To Join The Songbirds In Heaven (Porter Grainger) |
11-4-1927 | New York, New York | Okeh 8518 |
| That Da-Da Strain (Dowell) |
1-1923 | New York, New York | Columbia A3834 |
| That Free And Easy Papa O’ Mine with Sara Martin |
7-7-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8082 |
| 12th Street Rag (Euday L. Bowman) |
2-17-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8049-B |
| West End Blues (Clarence Williams / King Oliver) |
New York, New York | Edison 52646-R |
|
| What Makes Me Love You So (Fred Longshaw / Clarence Williams) |
New York, New York | Victor V-38575-B |
|
| When You’re Tired Of Me (Just Let Me Know) Acc By Clarence Williams’ Harmonizers |
5-16-1924 | New York, New York | Okeh 8145 |
| Yodeling Blues with Sara Martin (Clarence Williams) |
5-4-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8067 |
| You Don’t Understand (J. Johnson / Clarence Williams / Spencer Williams) |
New York, New York | Victor V-38575-A |
|
| You’ll Never Have No Luck By Quittin’ Me (Harvey Porter / Jonathan Spikes / Benjamin Spikes) |
5-29-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8068 |
| You’re A Real Sweetheart (Friend / Caesar) |
7-31-1928 | New York, New York | Okeh 41104 |
| You Can Have My Man (If He Come To See You Too) (Libby Williams Mehr) |
2-12-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8050-A |
| You Missed A Good Woman When You Picked All Over Me Piano Accompaniment by Clarence Williams (Clarence Williams) |
1-10-1923 | New York, New York | Okeh 8047-B |
| Artist | Instrument |
| Gavin Bushell | Clarinet |
| Buddy Christian | Banjo |
| Johnny Dunn | Trumpet |
| Ernest Elliot | Clarinet |
| Charlie Irvis | TRombone |
| Sara Martin | Vocals |
| Tom Morris | Trumpet |
| Clarence Williams | Piano, Vocals |
Redhotjazz.com was a pioneering website during the "Information wants to be Free" era of the 1990s. In that spirit we are recovering the lost data from the now defunct site and sharing it with you.
Most of the music in the archive is in the form of MP3s hosted on Archive.org or the French servers of Jazz-on-line.com where this music is all in the public domain.
Files unavailable from those sources we host ourselves. They were made from original 78 RPM records in the hands of private collectors in the 1990s who contributed to the original redhotjazz.com. They were hosted as .ra files originally and we have converted them into the more modern MP3 format. They are of inferior quality to what is available commercially and are intended for reference purposes only. In some cases a Real Audio (.ra) file from Archive.org will download. Don't be scared! Those files will play in many music programs, but not Windows Media Player.
