Victoria Spivey  (October 15, 1906 – October 3, 1976) got her start in music at age twelve when she began playing piano in a movie theatre in Houston, Texas. From there she expanded her musical career to playing in saloons and whorehouses. She was was a big fan of the Blues singer Ida Cox and modeled her own career after Cox’s. In 1926 at the the age of twenty she travelled to St. Louis where Okeh records was on a field trip looking for new acts to record. She recorded her own songs “Black Snake Blues” and “Dirty Woman Blues” which became a best selling record.

Over the the next two years she was quite a hot item and recorded records almost once a month, often with the accompaniment of great Jazz musicians like Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Luis Russell and many others, including her sister Addie “Sweet Pease” Spivey.

In 1929 she played a small role in King Vidor’s early film musical “Hallelujah”. As the Blues craze and the record industry in general hit the skids in the early 1930s, Spivey somehow managed to keep recording and performing unlike almost all of the other Classic Blues singers. She expanded into playing in vaudeville musical revues, including the acclaimed Hellzapoppin’ Revue in New York City and recorded and toured with Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra.

Spivey was constantly working, playing countless one-night stands throughout the 1930s and 1940s, but by the l950s, Spivey had left show business, but continued singing in the church choir in her home in Brooklyn. Victoria returned to show business in 1962 when she formed her own record company, Spivey Records. Her first record on the label featured Bob Dylan as an accompanist. So, Spivey’s career began again in the early 1960s; she began performing in folk and blues festivals and in nightclubs in and around New York City and continued to record for the rest of her life.

Title	Director	Year
Hallelujah	King Vidor	1929

 

Title	Recording Date	Recording Location	Company
A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Eddie Green)	11-1-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8565
Any Kind A Man	10-15-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion 3366
Arkansas Road Blues	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8481
Baulin’ Water Blues – Part 1 with Harold Grey (Victoria Spivey / Anna House)	6-26-1930	New York, New York	Victor 23349-A
Baulin’ Water Blues – Part 2 with Harold Grey (Victoria Spivey / Anna House)	6-26-1930	New York, New York	Victor 23349-B
Big Houston Blues	8-13-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8401
Black Snake Blues (Victoria Spivey / Lonnie Johnson)	5-11-1926	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8338-A
Black Snake Swing (Victoria Spivey)	7-7-1936	New York, New York	Decca 7203 A
Blood Hound Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-1-1929	New York, New York	Victor 38570-A Bluebird B-8619-A
Blood Thirsty Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-31-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8531
Blue Valley Blues	8-16-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8389-B
Christmas Morning Blues (Lonnie Johnson)	10-28-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8517
Detroit Moan (Victoria Spivey)	10-15-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion 03405
Dirty T.B. Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-1-1929	New York, New York	Victor 38570-B
Dirty Woman Blues (Victoria Spivey / Lonnie Johnson)	5-11-1926	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8351-A
Don’t Trust Nobody Blues	3-20-1931	New York, New York	Victor 1640
Dope Head Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-28-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8531
Dreaming ‘Bout My Man	4-21-1931	New York, New York	Victor
Funny Feathers (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	7-10-1929	New York, New York	Okeh
Funny Feathers Blues (1) (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	9-24-1929	New York, New York	Victor 8713
Funny Feathers Blues (2) (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	9-24-1929	New York, New York	Victor 8713
Furniture Man Blues – Part 1 (Spencer Williams / Victoria Spivey)	10-18-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8652
Furniture Man Blues – Part 2 (Spencer Williams / Victoria Spivey)	10-18-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8652
Garter Snake Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-28-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8517
Good Cabbage	7-8-1937	New York, New York	Vocalion 3639
Got The Blues So Bad	8-13-1926	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8401
Got The Blues So Bad	3-12-1937	New York, New York	Vocalion
From 1 To 12 (Dirty Dozen)	7-8-1937	New York, New York	Vocalion 3505
Haunted By The Blues	2-4-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38598
How Do You Do It That Way? (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	7-10-1929	New York, New York	Okeh 8713
How Do You Do It That Way? (1) (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	9-24-1929	New York, New York	Victor
How Do You Do It That Way? (2) (Victoria Spivey / R. Floyd)	9-24-1929	New York, New York	Victor
He Want’s Too Much	3-20-1931	New York, New York	Victor
Hollywood Stomp (Victoria Spivey)	10-15-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion 03405
Hoodoo Man Blues (Victoria Spivey)	8-12-1926	New York, New York	Okeh
Humored And Petted Blues	8-12-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8389-A
I Ain’t Gonna Let You See My Santa Claus	10-15-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion 3366
I Can’t Last Long	8-30-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion
Idle Hour Blues (Victoria Spivey)	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8464
I’ll Never Fall In Love Again	7-7-1936	New York, New York	Decca 7203 B
It’s Evil Hearted Me	8-12-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8410-A
Jelly Look What You Done Done (Hurston)	11-1-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8550
Lonesome With The Blues	2-4-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38598
Long Gone Blues (Victoria Spivey / Lloyd Barnes)	5-13-1926	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8351-B
Low Down Man Blues	3-20-1931	New York, New York	Vocalion 1640
Moaning The Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-1-1929	New York, New York	Victor 38546 Bluebird 8619-A
Mosquito, Fly And Flea (Victoria Spivey)	10-18-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8634
Murder In The First Degree (Victoria Spivey)	11-1-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8581
My Handy Man (Andy Razaf)	9-12-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8615
Mr. Freddie Blues (J.H. Shayne)	10-1-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion
Nebraska Blues	3-20-1931	New York, New York	Vocalion 1606
New Black Snake Blues – Part 1 (Victoria Spivey)	10-13-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8626
New Black Snake Blues – Part 2 (Victoria Spivey)	10-13-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8626
New York Blues	2-4-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38584
Nightmare Blues	10-31-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8581
No More Jelly Bean Blues Piano by De Lloyd Barnes Cornet by Pierce Gist (Victoria Spivey / De Lloyd Barnes)	5-13-1926	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8338-B
No Papa, No! (Victoria Spivey)	10-17-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8634
No. 12 Let Me Roam (Victoria Spivey / Erby)	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8494
One Hour Mama	3-12-1937	New York, New York	Vocalion 3505
Organ Grinder Blues (A) (Clarence Williams)	9-12-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8615
Organ Grinder Blues (C) (Clarence Williams)	9-12-1928	New York, New York	Okeh 8615
Red Lantern Blues	10-28-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8550
Santa Fe Blues (Victoria Spivey)	8-12-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8410-B
Showered With The Blues (Victoria Spivey)	2-4-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38584
Spider Web Blues (Victoria Spivey)	8-12-1926	New York, New York	Okeh 8370
Steady Grind (Victoria Spivey)	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8464
Sweet Pease	7-7-1936	New York, New York	Decca 7222 B
T-B Blues (Victoria Spivey)	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8494
TB’s Got Me (Victoria Spivey)	7-7-1936	New York, New York	Decca 7222 A
Telephoning The Blues (Victoria Spivey)	10-1-1929	New York, New York	Victor 38546
The Alligator Pond Went Dry	4-27-1927	St. Louis, Missouri	Okeh 8481
Toothache Blues – Part 1 Piano by Clarence Williams (Oscar Jefferson)	10-17-1928	New York, New York	Vocalion 3243
Toothache Blues – Part 2 Piano by Clarence Williams (Oscar Jefferson)	10-18-1928	New York, New York	Vocalion 3243
Trouble In Mind (Richard M. Jones)	10-1-1936	New York, New York	Vocalion
You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now! – Part 1 (Victoria Spivey / Noble Floyd)	7-3-1929	New York, New York	Okeh 8733
You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now! – Part 2 (Victoria Spivey / Noble Floyd)	7-3-1929	New York, New York	Okeh 8733
Your Worries Ain’t Like Mine	11-1-1927	New York, New York	Okeh 8565
You’ve Gotta Have What It Takes – Part 1	6-26-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38609
You’ve Gotta Have What It Takes – Part 2	6-26-1930	New York, New York	Victor 38609

Artist	Instrument
Henry “Red” Allen	Trumpet
Gene Anderson	Piano
Louis Armstrong	Cornet
Harold Arnold	Alto Saxophone
Charles Avery	Piano
Paul Barbarin	Drums
De Lloyd Barnes	Piano
Burton Brewer	Piano
Big Bill Broonzy	Guitar
Teddy Bunn	Guitar
Mancy Cara	Banjo
Lee Collins	Cornet
Elmer Crumbley	Trombone
John Erby	Piano
Georgia Tom Dorsey	Piano
Eddie Durham	Trombone
Joe Edwards	Trombone
Noble Floyd	Trombone
Reuben Floyd	Trumpet
Pops Foster	Bass
Pierce Gist	Cornet
Chick Gordon	Saxophone
Porter Grainger	Piano
Herbert Hannas	Banjo
J.C. Higginbotham	Trombone
Teddy Hill	Tenor Saxophone
Charlie Holmes	Alto Saxophone
Lloyd Hunter	Trumpet
Eddie Lang	Guitar
John Lindsay	Bass
George Lott	Trumpet
Lonnie Johnson	Guitar, Vocals
Will Johnson	Guitar
Jo Jones	Drums
Arnett Nelson	Clarinet
Albert Nicholas	Clarinet
King Oliver	Cornet
Fred Robinson	Trombone
Luis Russell	Piano
J.H. Shayne	Piano
Omer Simeon	Clarinet
Zutty Singleton	Drums
Dorothy Scott	Piano
Randolph Scott	Trumpet
Addie “Sweet Pease” Spivey	Piano
Jimmy Strong	Tenor Saxophone
Tampa Red	Guitar
Bud Washington	Drums
Leon Washington	Saxophone
Archie Watts	Alto Saxophone
Wallace Wright	Tuba
Clarence Williams	Piano