In honor of March being Women’s History Month, I’ve dedicated myself all month to presenting profiles on female blues artists.  The first two profiles on classic period blues singer Sara Martin and Chicago modern-day vocalist Valerie Wellington have been very well received, and this week I’ve decided to present an overview of the life and career of a female blues singer and entertainer who may not be a household name to most blues fans, Blue Lu Barker.  Let’s get into it, and hopefully this summary of Barker’s life and times inspires you to both seek out additional information on her, and inspires you to collect some of her great music for your collection.  Whether you do so for her Decca, Apollo, or Capitol label recordings, you’ll no doubt be impressed by her vast vocal skill set.

She was born Louise Dupont in mid-November, 1913 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Nothing in this writer’s research turned up any information on her mother, but her father was a food store proprietor and also the owner of a pool hall.  He also is referenced as having done well during the U.S.’s Prohibition period by selling illegal liquor.  A guy’s got to somehow support his family; right?

As with so many early period blues artists who do not reside in the rarified air of significant renown, few details are available regarding Dupont’s early developmental years, personally and music-wise.  However, at the tender age of 13, she left New Orleans, running away from home and marrying Danny Barker, a jazz guitarist and frequent presence on the New Orleans music scene, someone whose career included plying his rhythm guitar proficiencies with the likes of titanic entertainer and singer Cab Calloway, saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader Benny Carter, and bandleader Lucky Millinder, the swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader.  At this point, Dupont took the surname “Barker,” and also referred to her first name as “Louisa.”  Together, the newlyweds made New York their chosen destination.

Once in New York, Barker and her husband made significant inroads into the vibrant music scene found there, establishing a stage act together, often sharing shows with such popular stars as the aforementioned Calloway and ragtime and jazz piano giant Jelly Roll Morton.  They were very in-demand in New York, and opportunities for them to perform were plentiful.

Barker’s vocal stylings and stage presence caused a stir wherever she and her husband performed, though it wasn’t until 1938 that her recording career commenced.  It was at this session that the producer, after hearing Barker sing and considering her strong suite of attributes, suggested her stage name “Blue Lu,” a moniker that stuck.

Barker recorded 24 sides for the powerhouse Decca label between August, 1938 and December, 1939.  Though some reviewers fairly noted that Barker’s vocal range was narrower than other popular female singers of the time, no less than the illustrious jazz vocal titan Billie Holliday was quoted as saying, “Blue Lu Barker was my biggest influence.”  And with the sheer number of Barker’s records that became certifiable hits, her influence was indeed quite broad.  The majority of her tunes were cut with her husband’s bands, either Danny Barker’s Fly Cats or the Danny Barker Sextette.

Barker’s Decca tunes had intriguing titles such as “New Orleans Blues,” “That Made Him Mad,” “I Got Ways Like The Devil,” “Scat Skunk,” “Buy Me Some Juice,” “Georgia Grind,” “Nix On Those Lush Heads,” and “Marked Woman;” you get the point.  Barker was both a singer of great capability and an entertainer who could appeal to the raucous side of life.

Barker continued to perform to enthusiastic audiences; such remained he in-demand status.  Following her highly successful Decca recording period, she and her husband moved to the Apollo label, joining forces there with other incredibly popular blues and jazz artist singers including blues shouter Wynonie Harris, Panamanian jazz piano player and orchestra head Luis Russel, and the immensely popular pianist and jazz, blues, and R&B vocalist Dinah Washington. 

In 1946wWhile at Apollo, Barker cut what arguably many consider her best and most iconic record, “Don’t Feel My Leg,” a tune that seemed to promote promiscuousness, but also subtle control in the same breath.  As such, it was an ideal record to thrill audiences and get significant radio airplay.  And, the appeal of “Don’t Feel My Leg” remained so strong as to see the record find new enthusiastic popularity in 1973 by the blues and folk singer Maria Muldaur when she released a version of it on the Reprise label.

After Barker’s time with the Apollo imprint was finished, she and her husband moved to the Capitol label, where in 1948 she recorded another song that was wildly successful entitled “A Little Bird Told Me.”  This song rode a strong wave of popularity onto the Billboard charts in December, remaining there for an astonishing 14 straight weeks.  The song hit its zenith as the number four record during its run.

However, Barker had been on stage for quite a few years at this point, and in 1949 she decided to retire.  She left the music business and stayed clear of it until 1964.  Still living in New York, she and her husband made their way back to their native New Orleans in 1965.  They then performed for a couple of years there, and again stayed off the scene from 1967-1973.

But once more, Barker and her husband returned to performing, to great acclaim, and as a team continued to do so until he passed away in 1994.  But this was not the end of Blue Lu’s performing history.  After being rightfully inducted into the Louisiana Hall Of Fame in 1997, she performed and was recorded at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1998.  This appearance was to be her final one, and she passed away in May, 1998.

In typical fashion befitting a prominent talent having come from New Orleans, Barker’s funeral was said to have been a regal happening, with many musicians of distinguished status taking part.

The slightly thin, bawdy, falsetto-laden singing fashion of Barker’s idyllically framed her material and its sass, and it’s easy to completely understand her huge popularity.  There always seemed to be a wink of the eye within her music.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.  I am confident that you won’t be disappointed.