Lucille Nelson Hegamin (November 29, 1894 – March 1, 1970) was an American singer and entertainer, and a pioneer African American blues recording artist.
Hegamin was born as Lucille Nelson in Macon, Georgia. From an early age she sang in local church choirs. By the age of 15 she was touring the US South with the Leonard Harper Minstrel Stock Company. In 1914 she settled in Chicago, Illinois, where, often billed as "The Georgia Peach", she worked with Tony Jackson and Jelly Roll Morton before marrying pianist Bill Hegamin. She later told a biographer: "I was a cabaret artist in those days, and never had to play theatres, and I sang everything from blues to popular songs, in a jazz style. I think I can say without bragging that I made the "St. Louis Blues" popular in Chicago; this was one of my feature numbers." Lucille Hegamin's stylistic influences included Annette Hanshaw and Ruth Etting.
The Hegamins moved to Los Angeles, California in 1918, then to New York City the following year. Bill Hegamin led his wife's accompanying band, called the Blue Flame Syncopators; Jimmy Wade was a member of this ensemble.
In November 1920 Lucille Hegamin became the second African American blues singer to record, after Mamie Smith. Hegamin made a series of recordings for the Arto record label through 1922, then a few sides for Black Swan, Lincoln, Paramount and Columbia. From 1922 through late 1926 she recorded for Cameo Records; from this association she was billed as "The Cameo Girl". Like Mamie Smith, Hegamin sang in a lighter, more pop-tune influenced style than the rougher rural-style blues singers such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith who became more popular a few years later. Two of her earliest recordings, The Jazz Me Blues and Arkansas Blues became classic tunes.
On January 20, 1922, she competed in a blues singing contest against Daisy Martin, Alice Leslie Carter and Trixie Smith at the Fifteenth Infantry's First Band Concert and Dance in New York City. Hegamin placed second to Smith in the contest, which was held at the Manhattan Casino.
In 1926 Lucille Hegamin performed in Clarence Williams' Review at the Lincoln Theater in New York, then in various reviews in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey through 1934. In 1929 she appeared on the radio show "Negro Achievement Hour" on WABC, New York. In 1932 she recorded for Okeh Records.
About 1934 she retired from music as a profession, and worked as a nurse. She came out of retirement to make more records in 1961 and 1962.
Lucille Hegamin died in Harlem Hospital in New York on March 1, 1970, and was interred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn, New York.
Volume I (1920-1922)
01 - The jazz me blues (take 2)
02 - Everybody`s blues
03 - Arkansas blues (take 1)
04 - I`ll be good but I`ll be lonesome (take 1)
05 - He`s my man (you`d better leave him alone)
06 - Mamma whip! Mamma spank! (if her daddy don`t come home)
07 - I wonder where my brown skin daddy`s gone
08 - You`ll want my love
09 - I like you because you have such loving ways
10 - Wang wang blues
11 - Strut miss Lizzie
12 - Sweet mama papa`s getting mad
13 - Getting old blues
14 - Lonesome monday morning blues
15 - Mississippi blues
16 - Wabash blues
17 - Ain`t givin` nothin` away blues
18 - Can`t feel jolly blues
19 - He may be your man but he comes to see me sometimes (arto 9129)
20 - You`ve had your day
21 - I`ve got the wonder where he went (and when he`s coming back blues) (take 1)
22 - He may be your man (but he comes to see me) (997-4)
23 - State Street blues (take 2)
24 - High brown blues (take 2)
Volume II (1922-1923)
01 - I`ve got to cool my puppies now (take 1)
02 - Send back my honey man (take 3)
03 - I`ve got what it takes but it breaks my heart to give it away
04 - Can`t get lovin` blues
05 - Beale St. mama (why don`t you come back home)
06 - Aggravatin` papa (don`t you try to two-time me)
07 - Papa papa (I don`t want to be your mama no more)(take a)
08 - He may be your man (but he comes to see me sometime) (306)
09 - Syncopatin` mama
10 - Your man - my man
11 - Waiting for the evening mail (sitting on the inside looking at the outside)
12 - Now you`ve got him can you hold him (I don`t think you know your business blues) (tk. a)
13 - Two time dan
14 - Wet yo` thumb
15 - Bleeding hearted blues
16 - Down hearted blues
17 - Wanna go south again blues
18 - Some early morning
19 - Land of cotton blues
20 - Sweet papa Joe
21 - Sam Jones blues (You ain`t talkin` to Mrs. Jones)
22 - Saint Louis gal
23 - Cold cold winter blues
24 - Dina
25 - Lovey come back
Volume III (1923-1932)
01 - Chattanooga man
02 - Rampart St. blues
03 - Reckless daddy
04 - Always be careful mamma
05 - If you don`t give me what I want (I`m gonna get it somewhere else)
06 - You may be fast but mamma`s gonna slow you down
07 - Mamma`s the boss
08 - If you`ll come back
09 - I threw a good man over for you
10 - Sweet temptation man
11 - Hard hearted hannah
12 - Easy goin` mamma (don`t play hard to get with me)
13 - Alabamy bound (take c)
14 - Hot tamale Molly
15 - Every time I pick a sweetie (take c)
16 - My sugar
17 - I had someone else before I had you (and I`ll have someone after you`re gone)
18 - No man`s mama (take c)
19 - Dinah (take c)
20 - Poor papa (he`s got nuthin` at all)
21 - Here comes malinda
22 - Nobody but my baby is gettin` my love
23 - Senorita mine
24 - Shake your cans
25 - Totem pole
Volume IV - Alternate Takes Remaining Titles (1920-1926)
01 - The jazz me blues (take 1)
02 - I`ll be good but I`ll be lonesome (take 2)
03 - I've got the wonder where he went (and when he`s coming back blues) (take 2)
04 - I`ve got the wonder where he went (and when he`s coming back blues) (take 3)
05 - He may be your man (but he comes to see me) (997-1)
06 - State Street blues (take 1)
07 - State Street blues (take 3)
08 - High brown blues (take 1)
09 - High brown blues (take 3)
10 - I`ve got to cool my puppies now (take 2)
11 - Send back my honey man (take 1)
12 - Send back my honey man (take 2)
13 - You can have him I don`t want him blues
14 - Voo-doo blues
15 - Papa papa (I don`t want to be your mama no more) (take b)
16 - Now you`ve got him can you hold him (I don`t think you know your business blues) (take b)
17 - Arkansas blues (?-2)
18 - Jazz me blues (485-2)
19 - Alabamy bound (take a)
20 - Every time I pick a sweetie (take b)
21 - No man`s mama (take a)
22 - Dinah (take a)
