Viola Bartlette

Viola Bartlette was an American blues singer[1] and actress,[2] who recorded on Black Swan Records and Paramount Records. She was from Baltimore.[3] Bartlette recorded under the pseudonym Ida Lewis for Silvertone Records.[4]

She often was a backup singer for Lovie Austin[5] and accompanied Lovie Austin's Blue Serenaders band and Blythe's Sinful Five on records.[6] Johnny Dodds accompanied Bartlette on recordings made in the 1920s. Clarinetist Jimmy O'Bryant backed her on session recordings during 1923 to 1926. She also recorded with Kid Ory.[1]

  1. ^ a b Yanow, Scott (2001). Classic Jazz. Backbeat Books. pp. 68, 176. ISBN 978-0-87930-659-5. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Local Girl Recording". Baltimore Afro-American. September 11, 1926. p. 5. ProQuest 530641570. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Currin, Grayson (November 22, 2013). "Various Artists: The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-1932)". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Sutton, Allan (1993). A Guide to pseudonyms on American records, 1892-1942. Greenwood Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-313-29060-2. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. ^ The Harlem Renaissance: a historical dictionary for the era. Greenwood Press. 1984. ISBN 978-0-313-23232-9. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Dixon, Robert M. W. (1982). Blues & gospel records, 1902-1943. Storyville Publications. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-902391-03-1. Retrieved November 1, 2020.