- Also known as Bessie Jackson, Lucille Borgan was a female classic singer who lived between 1897 to 1948 and died at the age of 51
- She is a strong pioneer of blues back in the 1920s and her songs are mostly described to be having themes relating to sexual immorality, drugs, and alcoholism
- Lucille has released dozens of singles and albums. Her 1935 Shave em Dry stands as the most popular of her artworks
Lucille Bogan was an American classic female blues singer and songwriter who was born on the 1st of April 1897 and died on the 10th of August 1948 in Los Angelis, Califonia, U.S.
The singer until her demise was known for singing classic female blues, and dirty blues which were mostly characterized by themes relating to immorality alcoholism, and drugs. Moreso, Borgan was said to have put out her most famous and notorious record in 1935 when she signed a record deal with American Recording Corporation and released Shave em Dry.
In her lifetime, Borgan released over a hundred songs and multiple albums, and years after she died, lovers of jazz and blues have continued to perform the cover of her songs.
Life Background of the Late Singer
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Lucille Bogan was originally born to her parents Gussie and Wylie Anderson as Lucile Anderson. She however is also known as Bessie Jackson.
Though her place of birth is still being disputed, it is believed she was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The reason why her place of birth is disputed is that most sources say she was born in Amory Mississippi while her entry in the 1900 census says she was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
She Made Her Career Debut in 1923
The late singer was notably professionally active between 1923 to 1935 and many of her songs were later reproduced by later jazz and blues artists. Many of her songs were adjudged to be sexually explicit and generally immoral but she was still inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in the year 2020.
Lucille Bogan first recorded Vaudeville songs for Okeh Records in New York in the year 1923 with the pianist Henry Callen. Later in the same year, the late singer recorded Pawn Shop Blues in Atlanta, Georgia and it was said to be the first time a black blues singer had been recorded outside New York or Chicago.
In 1927, the singer started recording for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin and it was then she had her career breakthrough with Sweet Petunia. Sweet Petunia was later covered by Blind Blake, an American guitarist blues, and ragtime singer who is known for recordings he made for paramount Records between 1926 and 1932.
In 1933, the singer returned to New York and tried to conceal her identity with the name Bessie Jackson. She recorded for the Banner label of ARC and had Walter Roland as her pianist and the duo recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935.
Was She Ever Married?
Lucille married Nazareth Lee Bogan, a railwayman at the age of 17 and the couple had a son named Nazareth jr. By the year 1915 or 1916, she divorced Bogan and married James Spencer, a man that she was 22 years older than. Though the report of how her second marriage faired is not available, Bogan was at a point in time alledged to be bisexual. It was also rumored that she had an affair with a singer and pianist called Will Ezzel.
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Which Are Her Best Songs?
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It became very difficult to get parameters for measuring Lucille’s best songs since almost all her songs revolved around taboo subjects such as prostitution, adultery lesbianism, drugs, and alcoholism. However, She was said to have put out her most famous and notorious record in 1935 when she signed a record deal with American Recording Corporation and released Shave em Dry. For about a century now, the album stands as the most popular of all Bogan’s songs.
Also, it was at the point when the singer was to release Shave em Dry that she tried to conceal her identity by changing her name to Bessie Jackson. Her 1935 album was adjudged to be with explicit lyrics that would most likely not be allowed on the airwaves even if they were to be played in our modern times.
