Louise Massey
Louise Massey (born Victoria Louise Massey; 10 August 1902 – 20 June 1983, in San Angelo, Texas), American singer and songwriter born in Midland, Texas. The Massey family left Texas while Louise Massey was very young and she grew up near Roswell in Lincoln County, New Mexico. In 1918, Louise's father, Henry Massey, started a band that featured himself and three of his eight children singing and playing musical instruments. Most of the children were able to play several instruments while dressed in “elaborate cowboy outfits as their stage attire,” Louise played piano and sang. The Massey’s music career began in 1920s, when they played and sang at local shows and church socials. At the age of 15, Louise married Milton Mabie, who also joined the group. In 1930, the quintet known as "the Westerners" included Louise, Curt and Allen Massey, Milton Mabie, and Larry Wellington, who had replaced Henry Massey. Louise, with her flamboyant Spanish-style costumes, became the focal point of the act and received lead billing. The Westerners' first radio performance was on KMBC in Kansas City. They moved to WLS Radio in Chicago in 1933. In 1934, the song "When the White Azaleas Start Blooming" was released by the band and sold three million copies. In 1936, they moved to New York where they continued their radio work on NBC. In 1938, Louise Massey and the Westerners appeared in the Tex Ritter movie Where the Buffalo Roam. The group returned to WLS Radio in 1939 and did a morning broadcast on NBC called "Reveille Roundup." In the early 1940s, the Westerners were "well known for numerous radio appearances" and were appearing on Plantation Party broadcasts three nights a week. Louise Massey recorded for several record labels including Vocalion Records, OKeh Records, and Conqueror Records. Massey's house in Roswell is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 10, 1902 (Midland), Died June 20, 1983 (San Angelo)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1934 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, vocalist, harmony vocal, songwriter, guitar
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | D7VB-0036 | 10-in. | 1/7/1947 | My adobe hacienda | Pecos River Rogues ; Billy Williams [1913-2001] | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-0740 | 10-in. | 5/18/1947 | My adobe hacienda | Lonzo and Oscar ; Winston County Pea Pickers | Male vocal duet, with string band | songwriter | |
Columbia | C811 | 10-in. | 11/8/1934 | Honeysuckle schottische | Westerners | String band | leader | |
Columbia | C842 | 10-in. | 11/14/1934 | Varsovienna | Westerners | String band | leader | |
Columbia | WC2757 | 10-in. | 9/25/1939 | South of the border (down Mexico way) | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, harmony vocal | |
Columbia | WC2758 | 10-in. | 9/25/1939 | A gay ranchero (las altenitas) | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, harmony vocal | |
Columbia | WC2760 | 10-in. | 9/25/1939 | Bunkhouse jamboree | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, harmony vocal | |
Columbia | WC2951 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Rock and rye polka | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band | leader, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | WC2952 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Little brown jug | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band | leader | |
Columbia | WC2953 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Put your little foot right out | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band, with mixed vocal trio | leader, vocalist | |
Columbia | WC2954 | 10-in. | 2/22/1940 | Ye olde rye waltz | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band | leader, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | C3415 | 10-in. | 10/11/1940 | Beer and skittles | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band | leader | |
Columbia | C3423 | 10-in. | 10/12/1940 | Tears on my pillow | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | C3426 | 10-in. | 10/12/1940 | Mistakes | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band, with female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | C3579 | 10-in. | 1/27/1941 | My adobe hacienda | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band, with female vocal solo | vocalist, songwriter | |
Columbia | C3822 | 10-in. | 5/29/1941 | Mama Inez (Oh! Mom-e-nez) | Louise Massey ; Westerners (Massey Family) | String band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist, harmony vocal | |
Columbia | C4147 | 10-in. | 1/22/1942 | There'll come a day | Louise Massey ; Westerners | String band, with female vocal solo | leader, vocalist | |
Columbia | C4168 | 10-in. | 1/26/1942 | Squeeze box polka | Westerners (Massey Family) | String band | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Massey, Louise," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/359237.
Massey, Louise. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/359237.
"Massey, Louise." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2005074272
Wikidata: Louise Massey - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16749882
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/24792290
MusicBrainz: Louise Massey - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/568743f3-6920-4877-9b47-40ec9f351f02
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