Nellie Lutcher

Nellie Lutcher built an enduring career on the strength of several vocal successes that arrived in the final years of the 1940s, even though she was already an accomplished pianist. Public appearances began early for her. She was fourteen when she first accompanied Ma Rainey on piano at a local engagement, and the next year she traveled through Louisiana and Texas with Clarence Hart’s band, her father supplying the bass lines. From 1935 until 1947 she worked obscure solo engagements before settling in Los Angeles at the age of twenty-three. Her young son alerted her to a benefit radio broadcast scheduled from Hollywood High, and she secured a last-minute closing spot on the program. Her performance of “The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else” reached the ears of Capitol Records A&R scout Dave Dexter, who promptly offered her a contract. The two sessions she cut in 1947 yielded her biggest successes, “Hurry on Down” and “He’s a Real Gone Guy,” both of which remained signature pieces throughout her later years. “Fine Brown Frame” also enjoyed strong popularity. Her swinging piano style meshed effectively with an idiosyncratic scat approach and a highly stylized manner of delivering lyrics. No further hits materialized, however, and Capitol dropped her in 1952. Sporadic dates followed for Epic from 1952 to 1953, Liberty in 1956, and Imperial, yet after 1957 she made almost no additional records. She instead took a post with the local musicians’ union while continuing to play occasional gigs in the area. Nellie Lutcher sustained a part-time performing schedule into the 1990s, still recognized above all for the sides she recorded in 1947.