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Brown, Ada

May 1, 1890 - March 31, 1950
vocalist

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Ada Brown was born in Kansas City, Kansas, to a musical family including her cousin, noted ragtime composer and performer James Scott. She was already an established performer who had toured nationally and internationally when she recorded "Evil Mama Blues" real audio with Bennie Moten for the Okeh label on September 1923.

Ada's rough blues performance on "Evil Mama Blues" belies her polished vocal style which was well suited for the stage. After recording with Moten, Ada toured extensively on the TOBA and vaudeville circuits. She was an original incorporator of The Negro Actors Guild of America in 1936 and appeared with Fats Waller in the film "Stormy Weather." During the mid 1940s, she moved back to Kansas City, Kansas.

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Source:
Harris, Sheldon.
Blues Who's Who. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House Publishers, 1979.
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