Christine Kittrell

Born on 11 August 1929 in Nashville, Tennessee, Christine Kittrell passed away on 19 December 2001. Throughout the 1950s she cut several appealing yet only modestly successful sides for regional imprints. Although she had sung in church choirs during childhood, her voice never developed the singular shading that might have secured longer-lasting recognition. Her debut release, ‘Old Man You’re Slipping’ (Tennessee 117), featured tenor saxophonist Louis Brooks and his band—the same musicians with whom she had first turned professional in 1945. On her biggest seller, ‘Sittin’ Here Drinking’ (Tennessee 128), she was supported by Fats Domino’s sidemen Buddy Hagans and Wendell Duconge; the track earned her a six-week residency at New Orleans’ Pelican Club. She had already traveled with Joe Turner’s orchestra in 1951, yet she chose to remain active mainly in Nashville venues such as the New Era and the Elks. When she joined Paul ‘Hucklebuck’ Williams’ band in December 1952, Billboard described the “five-foot-six chirp” as the “blues find of the decade.” Her first West Coast appearances came in 1954, initially alongside Earl Bostic and subsequently with Johnny Otis. Further Republic recordings from that period achieved nothing beyond localized attention; one date that yielded ‘Lord Have Mercy’ (Republic 7096) is said to have included Little Richard on piano. In August 1954 Billboard reported her move away from secular music to perform with the Simmons Akers spiritual singers. Early in the following decade she recorded for Vee Jay, where her original ‘I’m A Woman’ was later popularized by Peggy Lee. In 1965 she revisited the Republic-era ‘Call His Name’ for Federal (12540) and then spent several years entertaining American troops at bases throughout south-east Asia. Afterward she withdrew to semi-retirement in Ohio, surfacing only for occasional local blues festivals and small-club dates during the 1990s before succumbing to emphysema.