Billie S Blue Notes

When I was in Boston around 1935, I came down to New York and I hired her. She couldn’t believe it. A colored girl in a white band? I said, “Come on, we’re gonna try it.” And so she sang with the band awhile. We went down South, and on the way she was scared. She said, “What am I gonna do?” I said, “We’re gonna try it. I’m scared, too.” So we played a gig in some little dance hall or some amusement park, and after her first couple of songs, they accepted her immediately. She goes to the crook of the piano where she usually sat, and I started the next tune, and a redneck down in front yelled, “Let the nigger wench sing another song.” Real loud. He didn’t mean it badly. That was his designation for a black woman, a colored girl. Nigger wench. Well, Billie had kind of a hot temper. She knew she shouldn’t do this, but I could see her flushing. I put my hand on her and said, “Shhh.” She was mouthing “motherf—er” at him. So that was the end of that. Had to hustle her out. I had arranged with the bus driver and a couple of cops if anything like that happened, take her off the stand, put her in the bus and drive away.

title: “Billie S Blue Notes” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-05” author: “Sonya Stanton”

When I was in Boston around 1935, I came down to New York and I hired her. She couldn’t believe it. A colored girl in a white band? I said, “Come on, we’re gonna try it.” And so she sang with the band awhile. We went down South, and on the way she was scared. She said, “What am I gonna do?” I said, “We’re gonna try it. I’m scared, too.” So we played a gig in some little dance hall or some amusement park, and after her first couple of songs, they accepted her immediately. She goes to the crook of the piano where she usually sat, and I started the next tune, and a redneck down in front yelled, “Let the nigger wench sing another song.” Real loud. He didn’t mean it badly. That was his designation for a black woman, a colored girl. Nigger wench. Well, Billie had kind of a hot temper. She knew she shouldn’t do this, but I could see her flushing. I put my hand on her and said, “Shhh.” She was mouthing “motherf—er” at him. So that was the end of that. Had to hustle her out. I had arranged with the bus driver and a couple of cops if anything like that happened, take her off the stand, put her in the bus and drive away.