Search - Half Pint Frankie Jaxon :: 1927-1940

Charismatic little Frankie Jaxon was an anomaly in the blues, jazz, and gospel worlds he inhabited. Born in Alabama in 1895 and raised in Kansas City, his feminine voice and outrageous manner established him as a crowd favorite of medicine shows touring the eastern seaboard by age 15. After making a hit in Atlantic City as a female impersonator, he began singing with the day's best jazz bands when they passed through Chicago, working with King Oliver and Freddie Keppard before recording his brilliant legacy with Cow Cow Davenport, Tampa Red and his Hokum Jazz Band, Bennie Moten, and later the Harlem Hamfats, moving from jazz band to show biz to Chicago folk hokum with ease. In this survey spanning the peak years of his career, savor the style and wit of "You Got to Wet It," "Be Your Natural Self," and "You Can't Tell," among other funny and funky gems. --Alan Greenberg