Standing tall with a presence as commanding as the emotional depth in her powerful singing voice, Big Maybelle stood among the leading female R&B vocalists during the 1950s. Her distinctive rough-hewn vocal delivery matched the variety in her recordings for Okeh and Savoy, spanning gritty blues numbers to more commercial-leaning songs. Even in 1967 she interpreted ? & the Mysterians' "96 Tears," marking her final entry on the charts. Although rumored struggles with substance abuse cut short the life of this formidable performer at just 47, she experienced an abundance of adventures during her abbreviated time on earth.
Born Mabel Louise Smith, she claimed victory in a Memphis talent competition when only eight years old. While gospel shaped the intensity of her singing approach, religious settings proved too restrictive for her abilities. She joined forces with Memphis bandleader Dave Clark in 1936, and subsequently performed alongside the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Her recording career began in 1944 alongside pianist Christine Chatman's group on Decca, followed by a 1947 contract with Cincinnati's King Records that yielded three singles supported by trumpeter Hot Lips Page's ensemble.
Producer Fred Mendelsohn encountered Smith in Cincinnati, bestowed upon her the moniker Big Maybelle, and secured her a deal with Columbia's OKeh R&B imprint in 1952. Her inaugural Okeh release, the distinctive "Gabbin' Blues" composed by songwriter Rose Marie McCoy along with arranger Leroy Kirkland, quickly succeeded and ascended the R&B rankings. Followed by "Way Back Home" and "My Country Man," completing a trio of successes for Maybelle and OKeh in 1953. She delivered a version of "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On" in 1955, two years prior to Louisiana keyboardist Jerry Lee Lewis tackling the number. Mendelsohn transferred her to Herman Lubinsky's Savoy label, where her gentle take on the standard "Candy" became another strong R&B success in 1956. At Savoy she adopted a more energetic style, with tracks like "Ring Dang Dilly," "That's a Pretty Good Love," and "Tell Me Who" enhanced by intense accompaniment from New York's finest session musicians. Her concluding Savoy session in 1959 mirrored evolving R&B directions through Howard Biggs' elegant string arrangements featuring four violins. Filmmaker Bert Stern captured her dynamic vocal performances on film in the documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, recorded in color during the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Throughout the 1960s Maybelle continued her work, cutting material for Brunswick, Scepter—where "Yesterday's Kisses" demonstrated her skill with sophisticated soul arrangements—Chess, Rojac (the origin of "96 Tears"), and additional companies. Yet the peak period had passed by the time she entered a diabetic coma and died at a Cleveland hospital in 1972.
