Biography
Born on 23 May 1920 in Baltimore, USA, Bea Booze, also known as Wee Bee, died sometime in the 1970s. Among the small number of women who played blues guitar, she is believed to have been spotted by pianist and talent scout Sammy Price, who arranged her introduction to Decca Records in 1942. Although she cut topical material including “Uncle Sam Come And Get Him” and “War Rationin’ Papa,” it was her version of the standard “See See Rider” that brought her recognition. Her time in the studio proved brief, yet she joined the Andy Kirk Band for tours in the mid-1940s, issued a lone 78 rpm disc under the name Muriel (Bea Booze) Nicholas And Her Dixielanders on 20th Century in 1946, and laid down four sides for Apollo in 1950. Her final known sessions took place with Sammy Price for the Stardust label in the early 1960s.