Nellie Lutcher

I have to admit that I have always assumed that she died long ago, but in fact Nellie Lutcher lived to the ripe old age of 94 and died last Friday. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Nellie was, I suppose, primarily a jazz singer and pianist, but she played an important role in the early development of R and B, having performed with Ma Rainey while still a child and recording some classic early R and B 78s for Capitol including Fine Brown Frame and Hurry on Down. She survived into the early days of 45s but little was heard of her after the late 1950s. Photo shows an LP recorded for Liberty in 1956 and released in the UK on London which shows off her versatility. For more info look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Lutcher