Ms. legendary Big Maybelle’s first LP, Blues, Candy and Big Maybelle, was released in 1958. It’s being remastered and rereleased this year, if you’re into that sort of thing, but either way, it’s a must-own, as is anything Maybelle ever created.
Maybelle’s voice is a goddamn knockout. She cut her teeth singing gospel in her Tennessee church, where she was discovered at a young age for the raw talent that coursed through her veins.
There’s not a ton of info on Maybelle’s life online. She still doesn’t get the attention many of her male counterparts receive, which is beyond shameful.
When people ask that trite question, about who, living or dead, you’d have over for a dinner party if you could invite anyone from history, my two most consistent answers are my great grandmother and Big Maybelle. Honestly, no one else really needs to show. I’d just like to sit next to Maybelle and drink with her, listen to her voice, listen to her stories, listen to her laugh, listen to her read the dictionary.
