Trixie Smith was born in Atlanta, Georgia and is reported to have studied at Selma University in Alabama. Sometime around 1915 she moved north to New York to work in show business. At first she worked in minstrel shows and on the TOBA vaudeville circuit. It was in vaudeville where she became a featured vocalist. In 1922 Smith made her first recordings for the Black Swan label and later that year she won a blues singing contest in New York sponsored by the White dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle, beating out Lucille Hegamin and some other lesser known singers with her song “Trixie’s Blues“. Smith is best remembered today for the excellent Jazz bands that accompanied her on her records.

The records were often released under the name of Trixie Smith and her Down Home Syncopators, which was usually either Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra or the White group The Original Memphis Five. Trixie recorded a fine session for Decca in 1938 that featured Sidney Bechet and an additional song in 1939, but her recording career had for all practical purposes ended by 1926 when she recorded with Jimmy Bythe and his Ragamuffins. As her career as a Blues singer waned, Smith returned to her theatrical roots and worked in musical revues, Broadway shows and appeared the four films. She died in 1943.

Title	Director	Year
The Black King	Bud Pollard	1932
Drums O’ Voodoo	Arthur Hoerl	1934
Swing!	Oscar Micheaux	1938
God’s Step Children	Oscar Micheaux	1938

 

Title	Recording Date	Recording Location	Company
Ada Jane’s Blues (Jay Guy Suddoth)	9-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12232-B
Black Bottom Hop (Paul Carter)	12-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12336
Choo Choo Blues (1) (Jay Guy Suddoth)	12-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12245
Choo Choo Blues (2) (Jay Guy Suddoth)	12-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12245 Silvertone 3565
Desperate Blues (Alex Rogers / James P. Johnson)	1-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 2039-A
Don’t Shake It No More (Thomas A. Dorsey)	6-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12211-B
Everybody’s Doing The Charleston Now With Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra (Benton)	12-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12330-A
Everybody Loves My Baby (But My Baby Don’t Love Nobody But Me) (Jack Palmer / Spencer Williams)	1-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12249
Freight Train Blues (Thomas A. Dorsey / Everett Murphy )	5-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12211-A
Freight Train Blues (Williams)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7489 A
Give Me That Slow Drag (Tom Delaney)	9-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 14127-A Paramount 12164-A
He May Be Your Man (But He Comes To See Me Sometimes) (Lemuel Fowler)	4-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 14114-A
He May Be Your Man (But He Comes To See Me Sometimes) (Perry Bradford / Lemuel Fowler)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7528
He Likes It Slow (W. Benton Overstreet)	12-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12336
How Come You Do Me like You Do? (Austin / Bergere)	1-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12249
I Don’t Know And I Don’t Care Blues (1) (George Brooks)	5-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12208
I Don’t Know And I Don’t Care Blues (2) (George Brooks)	5-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12208
I’m Gonna Get You (Porter Grainger / Bob Ricketts)	1-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14138-B
I’m Through With You (As I Can Be) (Billy Higgins)	10-1922	New York, New York	14132-B Black Swan 14132-B
Jack, I’m Mellow (Gerry / House)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7528
Log Cabin Blues (Tom Delaney)	3-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14142-A
Long Lost, Weary Blues	3-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 2044-B
Love Me Like You Used To Do With Fletcher Henderson’s Orchestra (Paul Carter)	12-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12330-B
Mining Camp Blues (1) (Trixie Smith)	2-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12256-A
Mining Camp Blues (2) (Trixie Smith)	2-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12256-A
My Man Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll) (J. Berni Barbour)	9-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 14127-B Paramount 12164-B
My Unusual Man (Porter Grainger)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7489 B
My Daddy Rocks Me (1) (J. Berni Barbour)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca
My Daddy Rocks Me – No. 2 (J. Berni Barbour)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7617 A
No Good Man	6-14-1939	New York, New York	Decca 7617 B
Pensacola Blues (Spencer Williams)	4-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 14114-B
Praying Blues (Jay Guy Suddoth)	9-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12232-A
Railroad Blues (1) (Trixie Smith)	3-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12262-A
Railroad Blues (2) (Trixie Smith)	3-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12262-A
Ride Jockey Ride (Arthur Schell Jr.)	12-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12245
Sorrowful Blues (Trixie Smith / Johns)	5-1924	New York, New York	Paramount 12208
Take It Daddy It’s All Yours (Perry Bradford)	10-1922	New York, New York	Paramount 12165-A Black Swan 14132-A
The World’s Gone Jazz Crazy And So Am I (1) (William Henry Huff / Jimmy Blythe)	3-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12262-B
The World’s Gone Jazz Crazy And So Am I (2) (William Henry Huff / Jimmy Blythe)	3-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12262-B
Tired Of Waiting Blues (Porter Grainger / Bob Ricketts)	3-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14149-A
Triflin’ Blues (Porter Grainger / Bob Ricketts)	3-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14149-B
Trixie’s Blues (Trixie Smith)	1-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 2039-B
Trixie’s Blues (Trixie Smith)	5-26-1938	New York, New York	Decca 7469
2 A.M. Blues (J.C. Johnson / Roland Irving)	1-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14138-A
Voodoo Blues (Hegamin)	3-1923	New York, New York	Black Swan 14142-B
You Missed A Good Women When You Picked All Over Me (Williams)	3-1922	New York, New York	Black Swan 2044-A
You’ve Got To Beat Me To Keep Me (Porter Grainger)	2-1925	New York, New York	Paramount 12256-B

Artist	Instrument
Henry “Red” Allen	Cornet
Louis Armstrong	Cornet
Sidney Bechet	Clarinet
Barney Bigard	Clarinet
Edgar Campbell	Clarinet
Sidney Catlett	Drums
Buster Bailey	Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Teddy Bunn	Guitar
Edgar Campbell	Clarinet
Elmer Chambers	Banjo
Charlie Dixon	Banjo
Ralph Esudero	Tuba
Richard Fullbright	Bass
Frank Signorelli	Piano
Charlie Green	Trombone
Flethcher Henderson	Piano
James P. Johnson	Piano
Jimmy Lytell	Clarinet
Miff Mole	Trombone
Phil Napoleon	Clarinet
Ted Nixon	Trombone
Sam Price	Piano
Don Redman	Clarinet
Jack Roth	Drums
Howard Scott	Cornet
Charlie Shavers	Trumpet
Joe Smith	Trumpet
Russell Smith	Trumpet
O’Neil Spencer	Drums
Walter Watkins	Tenor Saxophone