Ida Cox was a vaudeville performer and a pioneering blues singer who, along with Gertrude "Ma" Rainey and Bessie Smith, founded the female blues genre. Cox was born Ida Prather on February 25, 1894, in Toccoa. She grew up in Cedartown, near Rome, and left home as a teenager to tour with a minstrel revue. Cox excelled at vaudeville singing, but when the popularity of vaudeville shows began to fade, she transformed herself into a formidable blues singer.
In 1923 she made her first blues recordings, "Graveyard Dream Blues" and "Weary Way Blues," for the Paramount label. She met with immediate success and went on to record seventy-eight songs between 1923 and 1929, including "Cemetery Blues," "Handy Man," and her best-known song, "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues." Cox wrote most of the songs that she recorded. As Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey achieved success and popularity, Paramount promoted Cox as the "Uncrowned Queen of the Blues."
Like Smith and Rainey, Cox toured the blues circuit with pianists, including the renowned Jelly Roll Morton. A savvy businesswoman, Cox served as her own manager and producer, and enjoyed a lucrative career.
In 1939 Cox performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of John Hammond's second presentation of From Spirituals to Swing. She sang "Lowdown Dirty Shame" and "'Fore Day Creep" before a sold-out, integrated audience. The historic concert introduced the blues diva to a crowd that was perhaps just beginning to appreciate the artistry and significance of Black music.
After suffering a stroke in 1945, Cox lived in Chicago for a brief time before returning to the South in 1949. She lived with her daughter in Knoxville, Tennessee, and with her music career behind her, sang exclusively in her church choir until 1961, when she made one last recording, Blues for Rampart Street,
at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The album featured an all-star band that included saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Cox died in Knoxville on November 10, 1967.
Cox's song "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues" became the signature song for the rhythm-and-blues vocalist Francine Reed. Reed, who has toured with the country/pop musician Lyle Lovett, gives a rousing performance of "Wild Women" on Lovett's 1999 album, Live in Texas.
Ida Cox - Complete Recorded Works - Vol 1 (1923) - {01:09:54}
01. Any Woman's Blues - 3:37
02. Bama Bound Blues - 3:18
03. Lovin' Is The Thing I'm Wild About - 3:02
04. Graveyard Blues (1442-1) - 2:56
05. Graveyard Blues (1442-2) - 2:55
06. Weary Way Blues - 2:48
07. Blue Monday Blues - 2:49
08. I Love My Man Better Than I Love Myself - 2:56
09. Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues (take 3) - 2:52
10. Ida Cox's Lawdy, Lawdy Blues (take 4) - 2:41
11. Moanin' Groanin' Blues - 2:44
12. Chatanooga Blues - 2:48
13. Chicago Bound Blues (take 2) - 2:42
14. Chicago Bound Blues (take 3) - 2:32
15. Come Right In - 2:45
16. I've Got The Blues For Rampart Street (take 3) - 2:46
17. I've Got The Blues For Rampart Street (take 4) - 2:48
18. Graveyard Dream Blues (1545-2) - 2:52
19. Mama Doo Shee Blues - 3:04
20. Worried Mama Blues - 3:16
21. So Soon This Morning Blues - 3:00
22. Mail Man Blues - 3:02
23. Confidential Blues - 2:58
24. Bear-Mash Blues - 2:47
Ida Cox - Complete Recorded Works - Vol 2 (1924-1925) - {01:11:59}
01. Mean Lovin' Man Blues (take 3) - 2:50
02. Down The Road Bound Blues (take 2) - 3:21
03. Last Time Blues (take 2) - 2:59
04. Worried Any How Blues - 3:04
05. Chicago Monkey Man Blues (take 1) - 2:58
06. Chicago Monkey Man Blues (take 2) - 2:52
07. Mean Papa Turn Your Key - 3:03
08. Blues Ain't Nothin' Else But! (take 2) - 3:14
09. Worried In Mind Blues (take 1) - 2:58
10. My Mean Man Blues (take 1) - 2:43
11. Kentucky Man Blues - 2:59
12. Cherry Picking Blues - 3:19
13. Wild Women Don't Have The Blues - 2:28
14. Worried In Mind Blues (take 3) - 3:01
15. Death Letter Blues - 3:05
16. My Mean Man Blues (take 4) - 2:36
17. Those Married Man Blues - 2:52
18. Misery Blues - 3:13
19. Graveyard Bound Blues - 3:20
20. Mississippi River Blues - 3:13
21. Georgia Hound Blues - 3:12
22. Blue Kentucky Blues - 2:55
23. Black Crepe Blues - 2:53
24. Fare Thee Well Poor Gal - 2:51
Ida Cox - Complete Recorded Works - Vol 3 (1925-27) - {01:10:10}
01. Cold Black Ground Blues - 2:54
02. Someday Blues - 2:55
03. Mister Man Part I - 2:59
04. Mister Man Part II - 2:46
05. Mistreatin' Daddy Blues - 3:01
06. Long Distance Blues - 3:01
07. Southern Woman's Blues - 3:13
08. Lonesome Blues - 2:52
09. How Long Daddy How Long - 2:58
10. How Can I Miss You When I'Ve Got Dead Aim - 2:44
11. I Ain't Got Nobody - 2:56
12. Coffin Blues - 3:17
13. Rambling Blues - 2:37
14. One Time Woman Blues - 2:56
15. Trouble Trouble Blues - 2:57
16. Do Lawd Do - 2:53
17. I'm Leaving Here Blues - 3:06
18. Night & Day Blues - 2:53
19. Don't Blame Me - 3:04
20. Scottle De Doo - 3:01
21. 'Fore Day Creep - 2:26
22. Gypsy Glass Blues - 2:42
23. Mojo Hand Blues - 3:15
24. Alphonsia Blues - 2:42
Ida Cox - Complete Recorded Works - Vol 4 (1927-38) - {01:09:00}
01. Pleading Blues - 3:00
02. Lost Man Blues - 2:47
03. Hard Oh Lawd - 2:34
04. Mercy Blues - 3:00
05. Seven Day Blues - 3:05
06. Cold And Blue - 2:48
07. Midnight Hour Blues - 2:52
08. Give Me A Break Blues - 2:53
09. Bone Orchard Blues - 2:58
10. Sobbing Tears Blues - 3:29
11. Booze Crazy Man Blues - 3:05
12. Broadcasting Blues - 2:45
13. Western Union Blues - 2:33
14. Fogyism - 2:44
15. Seperated Blues - 2:41
16. Tree Top Tall Papa - 2:25
17. Marble Stone Blues - 2:41
18. Crow Jane Woman - 2:44
19. Worn Down Daddy Blues - 2:38
20. You Stole My Man - 2:42
21. I'm So Glad - 3:11
22. Jail House Blues - 3:22
23. Four Day Creep - 3:28
24. Low Down Dirty Shame - 2:36
Ida Cox - Complete Recorded Works - Vol 5 (1939 - 1940) - {00:56:22}
01. Deep Sea Blues (Take 1) - 3:21
02. Deep Sea Blues (Take 2) - 3:24
03. Death Letter Blues (Take 1) - 3:17
04. Death Letter Blues (Take 4) - 2:47
05. One Hour Mama (Take 4) - 2:56
06. One Hour Mama (Breakdown) Take 5 - 0:17
07. One Hour Mama (Take 6) - 3:07
08. Four Day Creep - 3:29
09. Pink Slip Blues - 3:01
10. Hard Times Blues - 3:00
11. Take Him Off My Mind - 3:06
12. Last Mile Blues (Take 1) - 3:12
13. Last Mile Blues (Take 2) - 3:19
14. I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Break My Heart - 3:22
15. I Can't Quit That Man (Take 1) - 2:55
16. I Can't Quit That Man (Take 2) - 3:00
17. I Can't Quit That Man (Take 3) - 3:17
18. You Got To Swing And Sway (Take 1) - 2:58
19. You Got To Swing And Sway (Take 2) - 2:34
