Lu Elliott
Background information
Also known asLucy Elliott
BornAugust 3, 1924
DiedMarch 5, 1987(1987-03-05) (aged 62)
Years active1940s–1980s

Lu Elliot (August 3, 1924 – March 5, 1987) was a jazz and blues singer and recording artist. She also recorded some soul songs. Some of the artists she worked with were BB King, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Sam Williams Express.

Background

Elliott was born on August 3, 1924.[1] She was a tuba player in her high school band.[2] As a teenager she won first prize at the amateur night held at Harlem's Apollo Theater.[3]

She was married to guitarist Horace C. Sims, who had played in a band called Afro Cubanaires.[4][5] In 1952, she and her husband bought a 14-room house in East Orange, New Jersey.[6]

During her career she had appeared on the Steve Allen Show and had spent a year working with BB King in the United States as well as touring Europe.[7][8]

Her sister Billie Lee was also a singer.[9]

Career

1940s to 1950s

In September 1949 and new on the scene, she provided the vocals on "He's The Greatest Thing There Is" with the Duke Ellington Orchestra that was recorded in New York. She appeared on another recording by the orchestra in late January 1950. Both she and Al Hibbler provided the vocals on "How High the Moon".[10][11] She left the band in February 1950.[12] For a period of time she was a singer in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. It was revealed in the March 4, 1954 edition of Jet Magazine that she was the only woman tuba player in the musicians union.[13]

1960s

In 1960, her single "One" / "Big Joe" was released on ABC Paramount. Billboard referred to it as an "Emotion packed" ballad.[14][15]

In January 1967, it was reported that she was returning to recording, with a three-year contract that had just been signed with ABC-Paramount.[16] In February, she began a nationwide tour with BB King.[17] In April 1967, Billboard reported that she had gone to Australia for six weeks of dates in hotels and theaters.[18] Later that year, she appeared at the Chevron-Hilton in Sydney, Australia. She stayed there for an extra month.[19] Her 1967 album Way Out From Down Under received a favorable review from Billboard.[20] The album was arranged and conducted by Johnny Pate. It is quite possible that her time in Australia was an influence on the title of the album, which featured her with a kangaroo on the front cover.[21]

In June 1968, she appeared on the Joey Bishop Show. Along with Elliott, Johnny Mann and his Orchestra and The Collage appeared.[22] Also in 1968, her With a Little Help from My Friends album was released on ABC Records. The album included the Lennon & McCartney composition "With a Little Help from My Friends", the Willie Cooper & Marshall Boxley composition "Our Love Will Last Forever" and the Frank Loesser composition "If I Were A Bell.[23][24] It received a positive review in Billboard, with, on "If I Were a Bell", her voice being powerful, yet comfortable and her great choice of material commented on.[25]

1970s

December 1970 saw her with The Chicki Horn appearing at Jimmy and Wes Pemberton's 21 Club in The Virgin Islands.[26]

In March 1973, she and Al Hibbler sang at the funeral of Key Club owner Walter C. Dawkins, who was believed to have committed suicide in his club by shooting himself.[27]

In 1975, following the completion of a two week at the Holiday House in Pittsburgh she was hospitalized as a result of severe anemia. She spent a month in Columbus Hospital, Newark. A benefit event was held for her at the Key Club, where she was one of the favorites. Even though she was out of hospital, she was unable to attend the event as she was still recovering and had been advised by her doctor to refrain from show business for a while. Some of the people who turned up for the event were singers Lenny Welch and Gilbert Nelsonn. The Sam Williams Express was there too. Others that attended were her singer sister Billie Lee, her husband Horace Sims, fashion designer Freddie Roach and photographer Irving Overby.[28] By the later part of the mid-1970s she was appearing at the Club Daiquiri in St. Thomas with the Sam Williams Express, a group she had teamed up with some years before. Returning to the band after her illness, they changed the name of the band to the Sam Williams-Lu Elliott Experience. In addition to updated jazz tunes, they were covering rock and soul material that included covers of songs by Al Green and Barry White. By popular demand they were to appear again in February 1976.[29][30]

Around 1979, she appeared on the Redd Foxx and George Kirby shows in Las Vegas[31]

1980s

In the first quarter of 1981, Elliott had appeared at the Bally Casino a few times for a period of nearly three months.[32][33] In mid-March 1981, she appeared at The Cookery at East Eighth Street at University Place in New York, backed by a duo consisting of Robert Banks on piano and Jimmy Lewis on bass. She was covering material by Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday with songs such as "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady" and "It Don't Mean a Thing".[34] Elliott was brought into the Cookery after resident artist, 86 year old Alberta Hunter fell and broke her hip. She was sought out by the club's owner Barney Josephson, who tried to fill Hunter's absence with some other singers which did not work out. Then he remembered that he had previously heard her singing at St. Peters Lutheran Church in Lexington Avenue. So he contacted her.[35] In May of that year she was singing there from Tuesday to Saturday, backed by Gerald Cook on Piano and with Jimmy Lewis on bass.[36] On Saturday, December 12, it was announced Miss Lu Elliott and her Jazz Trio were to play a free show at the Citicorp market in New York.[37] In January 1982, she opened for several weeks at the Golden Nugget Casino.[38]

Death

She died of cancer, either on March 4 or 5th, 1987.[39][40]

Discography (solo)

Singles
Title Release info Year Notes
"Common Sense" / "If You Still Love Me" MARS MRX 6001 [41]
"Big Joe" / "One" ABC-Paramount 45-10151 1960 [42]
"What's Wrong" / "If I Were A Bell" Lu El – 402, 403 with John Malachi Trio[43]
"I Love The Ground You Walk On" / "Have You Tried To Forget?" ABC 45-10897 1967 [44]
Albums
Title Release info Year Notes
Sings Way Out from Down Under ABC Records ABCS-584 1967
With a Little Help from My Friends ABC Records – ABC 637 1968 [45]
VA compilation albums
Album title Release info Year Song Notes
On Campus Fall 1967 Selections from New Album Releases ABC Records Fall 67 1967 "I've Got You Under My Skin" ABC Promo LP album

Discography (with other artists)

As Lu Elliott
Artist Release title Release info Year Song title Format Notes
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" / "Joog Joog" Columbia 30195 1949 "Joog Joog" 78 RPM single vocals Lu Elliott, Kay Davis[46]
Duke Ellington Orchestra Live At Click Restaurant Philadelphia 1949 Raretone 5005-FC 1979 unknown LP album vocals Kay Davis, Lu Elliott, Al Hibbler[47]
Duke Ellington And His Orchestra The Chronogical Duke Ellington And His Orchestra 1949-1950 Classics Records 1191 2001 "The Greatest There Is" CD comp album
Duke Ellington And His Orchestra The Chronogical Duke Ellington And His Orchestra 1949-1950 Classics Records 1191 2001 "Joog, Joog" CD comp album
Duke Ellington And His Orchestra The Chronogical Duke Ellington And His Orchestra 1949-1950 Classics Records 1191 2001 "Good Woman Blues" CD comp album [48]
As Lucy Elliott
Artist Release title Release info Year Song title Format Notes
Benny Carter And His Orchestra Benny Carter And His Orchestra (No. 2) Parlophone GEP 8568 1957 "Your Conscience Tells You So" LP album
Benny Carter And His Orchestra Somebody Loves Me Magic Records AWE 28 1987 "Patience And Fortitude" LP comp album vocal with Benny Carter[49]

Various artist compilations

As Lou Elliott
Album title Artist Release info Year Format Song Notes
Rare Blues Girls on King Volume #3 Erskine Hawkins Orch King CD 4503 CD compilation "Lost Time" as Lou Elliott
Rare Blues Girls on King Volume #3 Erskine Hawkins Orch King CD 4503 CD compilation "Fair Weather Friend" as Lou Elliott

References

  1. ↑ The Famous, the Familiar and the Forgotten: 350 Notable Newarkers By Guy Sterling Page 203 Lucy Elliott "Lu Elliott" Sims: jazz singer
  2. ↑ Jat Magazine 4 Mar 1954 Page 63 - 64 New York Beat
  3. ↑ The Baltimore Afro-American April 28, 1981 Page 16 A new career for Lu Elliott in replacing Alberta Hunter
  4. ↑ The Baltimore Afro-American March 23, 1973 Rites For Walter Dawkins, Suicide In His Club
  5. ↑ Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50 Barbara J. Kukla Page 187
  6. ↑ Jet October 30, 1952 Page 44 * PEOPLE ARE
  7. ↑ The Virgin Islands Daily News December 27, 1975 Page 5 Entertainer Chooses Island As Second Home By St. Claire Murraine
  8. ↑ The Virgin Islands Daily News December 27, 1975 Page 14 Entertainer Chooses Island As Second Home, chooses Continued from page 5)
  9. ↑ The New Jersey Afro-American Week of July 29-August 2, 1975 Lu Elliott's friends pack Key Club's benefit show
  10. ↑ Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide Eddie Lambert Page 152
  11. ↑ Jazz Archeology The TENORSAX of JAMES ROBERT FORREST “JIMMY” Page 6, DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA NYC. Sept. 1, 1949, DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA Detroit, late Jan. 1950
  12. ↑ Ellington on the Web 1950, February 1950
  13. ↑ Jat Magazine 4 Mar 1954 Page 63 - 64 New York Beat
  14. ↑ Soulful Kinda Music http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/abc.htm ABC Paramount Records, 10151
  15. ↑ Billboard October 31, 1960 Page 58 Reviews of New Pop Records
  16. ↑ Jet Jan 12, 1967 Page 63 New York Beat
  17. ↑ The Indianapolis Recorder February 25, 1967 Page 11 B.B. King to begin tour
  18. ↑ Billboard April 29, 1967 Page 54 From The Music Capitals of the World, NEW YORK
  19. ↑ Jet June 1, 1967 Page 62 New York Beat
  20. ↑ Billboard December 2, 1967 Page 59 Album Reviews, Pop Special Merit
  21. ↑ Discogs Lu Elliott – Sings Way Out From Down Under
  22. ↑ TV.com The Joey Bishop Show Season 2 Episode 185, June 6, 1968, Episode Summary
  23. ↑ WorldCat With a little help from my friends, Lu Elliott
  24. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series 2036
  25. ↑ Billboard July 20, 1968 Page 49 Album Reviews, Special Merit Picks, Popular
  26. ↑ The Virgin Islands Daily News December 16, 1970 Page ?
  27. ↑ The Baltimore Afro-American March 23, 1973 Rites For Walter Dawkins, Suicide In His Club
  28. ↑ The New Jersey Afro-American Week of July 29-August 2, 1975 Lu Elliott's friends pack Key Club's benefit show
  29. ↑ The Virgin Islands Daily News December 27, 1975 Page 5 Entertainer Chooses Island As Second Home By St. Claire Murraine
  30. ↑ The Virgin Islands Daily News December 27, 1975 Page 14 Entertainer Chooses Island As Second Home, chooses Continued from page 5)
  31. ↑ Baltimore Afro-American April 28, 1981 Page 16 A new career for Lu Elliott in replacing Alberta Hunter
  32. ↑ The Baltimore Afro-American April 28, 1981 Page 16 A new career for Lu Elliott in replacing Alberta Hunter
  33. ↑ The Afro-American January 9, 1982 Page 13 Feminine Fronteer At A.C Casino
  34. ↑ The New York Times March 22, 1981 Arts, CABARET: LU ELLIOTT AT COOKERY By John S. Wilson
  35. ↑ The Baltimore Afro-American April 28, 1981 Page 16 A new career for Lu Elliott in replacing Alberta Hunter
  36. ↑ New York Magazine May 4, 1981 Page 121 Pop/Jazz, THE COOKERY
  37. ↑ New York Magazine December 14, 1981 Page 126 Music & Dance, Saturday, December 12
  38. ↑ The Afro-American January 9, 1982 Page 13 Feminine Fronteer At A.C Casino
  39. ↑ The Famous, the Familiar and the Forgotten: 350 Notable Newarkers By Guy Sterling Page 203 Lucy Elliott "Lu Elliott" Sims: jazz singer
  40. ↑ Swing City: Newark Nightlife, 1925-50 Page 195
  41. ↑ vocalgroupharmony.com THIS WEEK'S SELECTIONS PROVIDED BY ANDREW BOHAN, Common Sense"/"If You Still Love Me"
  42. ↑ 45Cat Lu Elliott - Discography
  43. ↑ Discogs Lou Elliott*, with John Malachi Trio* – What's Wrong
  44. ↑ 45Cat Lu Elliott - Discography
  45. ↑ Discogs Lu Elliott Discography
  46. ↑ Ellington on the Web Ellington 78 rpm Labels 1948 – 1950 recordings Joog Joog
  47. ↑ Discogs [Duke Ellington Orchestra* – Live At Click Restaurant Philadelphia 1949 - Vol. 4
  48. ↑ Discogs Duke Ellington And His Orchestra – The Chronogical Duke Ellington And His Orchestra 1949-1950
  49. ↑ Discogs Lucy Elliott Discography
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