Lucille Hegamin (November 29, 1894 – March 1, 1970) was the second African-American Blues singer to release a record in 1920, just few a months after Mamie Smith’s groundbreaking success with “Crazy Blues“. Hegamin’s first record was “The Jazz Me Blues” and “Everybody’s Blues” for Arto Records and it sold well enough, but her next record in 1921 “Arkansas Blues” and “I’ll Be Good But I’ll Be Lonesome” was one of the most popular records of 1921 and made her a star of the blossoming Blues scene.Hegamin was born in Macon, Georgia and traveled with Laurel Harper Minstrel Stock Company doing tent-shows in the South in the early teens. Lucille joined the African-American migration from the South and moved north to Chicago around 1909. In 1914, she teamed with Bill Hegamin (who she would later marry) and worked at cabarets and nightclubs in Chicago where she sometimes sang with jazz pianists Jelly Roll Morton and Tony Jackson. She and her husband moved to Los Angeles in the late teens before settling in New York in 1919.
In New York she continued her career as a cabaret and nightclub singer and performed in musical revues. In 1920, she and her husband formed the Blue Flame Syncopators who supported her on all of her Arto records and toured the vaudeville circuit throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio with her. In 1922, Lucille became a member of the cast of Sissle and Blake‘s musical comedy Shuffle Along in New York City. When Arto went bankrupt in 1923, Hegamin signed with Cameo and eventually became known as the Cameo Girl. She had another big hit with the risqué Blues song, “He May Be Your Man, But He Comes to See Me Sometimes” which was widely covered by other Classic Blues singers and Jazz bands of the 1920s.
Throughout the rest the 1920’s and early 1930’s, Lucille continued to sing and perform in musical revues. When the Blues craze died out in the mid-1930s she left show biz and became a registered nurse, but continued to perform and record from time to time. In the early l960s, Hegamin returned to recording and released records with Willie “The Lion” Smith and Victoria Spivey. After 1964, Lucille did little performing due to illness. She died March 1, 1970.
Editors Note: All of the audio files from this page and for several of the band pages for Lucille Hegamin have been lost. There is plenty to listen to under her Blue Flame Syncopators. If you have any of the missing recordings from redhotjazz.com we would love access to them.
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| Always Be Careful Mama Piano Accompaniment by J. Russel Robinson (J. Russel Robinson) | 9-1928 | New York, New York | Cameo 450 |
| Bleeding Hearted Blues (Lovie Austin) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 397 Muse 345 Lincoln 2085 |
| Chattanooga Man | 10-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 494 Lincoln 2297 |
| Dinah (Sam M. Lewis / Joe Young / Harry Akst) | 2-1926 | New York, New York | Cameo 877 Lincoln 2472 |
| Down Hearted Blues (Lovie Austin / Lovie Austin) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 381 Muse 345 Lincoln 2085 |
| Easy Goin’ Mamma (Don’t Play Hard To Get with Me) (Lewis / Young / Ahlert) | 10-6-1924 | New York, New York | Cameo 624 |
| Hard Hearted Hannah (Yellen / Ager / Bigelow / Bates) | 10-6-1924 | New York, New York | Cameo 624 |
| Here Comes Malinda (Rose / Woods) | 3-1926 | New York, New York | Cameo 907 Lincoln 2483 |
| Land Of Cotton Blues (Bennett / Jerome / Ahlert) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 407 |
| No Man’s Mama | 2-1926 | New York, New York | Cameo 877 |
| Poor Papa (He’s Got Nuthin’ At All) (Rose / Woods) | 2-1926 | New York, New York | Cameo 902 Lincoln 2483 |
| Rampart St. Blues (Lovie Austin) | 10-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 494 Lincoln 2297 |
| Reckless Daddy Piano Accompaniment by J. Russel Robinson (J. Russel Robinson / Holden) | 9-1928 | New York, New York | Cameo 450 |
| Shake Your Cans | 3-4-1932 | New York, New York | Okeh 8941 |
| Some Early Morning (Klages / Monacco / Sardvoll) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 407 |
| Sweet Papa Joe (Link / Britt / Russell) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 397 |
| Syncopatin’ Mama | 3-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 317 |
| Totem Pole | 3-4-1932 | New York, New York | Okeh 8941 |
| Wanna Go South Again Blues (Gold / Ruby / Caine) | 8-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 381 Muse 345 Lincoln 2085 |
| Your Man – My Man (J. Russel Robinson) | 3-1923 | New York, New York | Cameo 317 Lincoln 2019 |
| Artist | Instrument |
| J. Russel Robinson | Piano |
