Biography: Margaret Thornton, Margaret Whitmire, Ma Rainey, Margie Day, Margie Joseph, Margo Lewis, Maria Howell, Mabel King, Mabel Scott, Mable John,

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Margaret Thornton Biography, Photos, Pictures

That the blues vocalist Margaret Thornton recorded only one song in her life is, unfortunately, a fact that is off by only half; the correct number is two, but in terms of quality impact, it might as well have been dozens

Margaret Whitmire Biography, Photos, Pictures

Blues vocalist Margaret Whitmire recorded only once, in Chicago in 1927 Joining her was accompanist Arnold “Doc” Wiley, a vaudeville performer and pianist who cut records of his own

Ma Rainey wasn’t the first blues singer to make records, but by all rights she probably should have been In an era when women were the marquee names in blues, Ma Rainey was once the most celebrated of all — the “Mother of the Blues” had been singing the music for more than 20 years before she made her recording debut (Paramount, 1923)

With her gutsy, no-holds-barred, delivery, Margie Day (born: Margaret Hoeffler) emerged as one of the top R&B vocalists of the 1950s As lead singer for the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, Day twice reached the R&B top ten between 1950 and 1951, lending her boisterous voice to “Street-Walkin’ Daddy” and the Willie Dixon-penned “Little Red Rooster”

Margie Joseph Biography, Photos, Pictures

Frequently compared to Aretha Franklin, singer Margie Joseph earned neither the fame nor the critical success lavished upon the Queen of Soul, but a series of excellent records for Atlantic during the 1970s nevertheless won her a spot in the pantheon of soul cult favorites

Margo Lewis is best known in the ’90s and beyond as the founder of Talent Consultants International, an agency whose clients include Bo Diddley, the Village People, and Wilson Pickett, as well as numerous contemporary musicians

Maria Howell Biography, Photos, Pictures

The stirring moment where the choir soloist sings in the award-winning movie The Color Purple (filmed in Marshville near Charlotte) was delivered by none other than petite singing bombshell Maria Howell

Blues singer Mabel King cut some pretty fair rock & roll in the mid-’50s, most notably for George Goldner’s Rama Records (“Alabama Rock ‘n Roll,” “Symbol of Love”) in New York, but she is best known to listeners and audiences as an actress

Mabel Scott was born on April 30, 1915, in Richmond, VA, and raised in New York City She developed her singing voice in the Metropolitan Baptist Church and led her own all-girl gospel group, the Song Cycles

Mable John was the first female artist signed by Berry Gordy, Jr to the Tamla label, which preceded Motown by more than two years, and one of the few artists to record for the top two labels for ’60s soul, Motown and Stax