"Lyrics" Soundclips
 "Down hearted blues"
"Georgia on my mind"
"Sweet Georgia Brown"
Alberta Hunter (1895-1984), American blues and cabaret singer,
an early and enduring black recording star.
Hunter adapted her large and supple voice to a variety of musical styles and had one of the longest careers of any of the early female blues singers.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Hunter ran away to Chicago when she was 11 years old, hoping to work as a singer and send money to her mother.
She became an immediate success, and as her reputation grew she appeared in nightclubs with such American jazz musicians as cornetist King Oliver and trumpet player Louis Armstrong.
She also performed on Broadway, and in 1921 she made her first record. Hunter's best-known song was “Down Hearted Blues” (1922), which she wrote.
In 1923 American blues singer Bessie Smith recorded the song, which then became widely known.
In 1927 Hunter traveled to London, where she sang opposite American singer Paul Robeson in the British premiere of the musical Showboat, by American composer Jerome Kern.
Hunter subsequently sang in Holland, Denmark, and France, becoming the first singer to perform American blues music in Europe. During World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953), Hunter toured the world in military entertainment shows.
In 1955, when her mother died, she retired from singing. She studied to be a nurse and later worked in hospitals in New York City.
In 1977 Hunter's singing talent was rediscovered, and at the age of 82 she renewed her singing career and became famous once again.
source http://encarta.msn.com/
encyclopedia_761579695/Hunter_Alberta.html
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