Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women
Encyclopedia
Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women was a three-woman blues
musical ensemble
in the Washington, D.C.
area. It was founded in 1987 by Ann Rabson
, Gaye Adegbalola
and Earlene Lewis. Lewis separated from the band in 1992 and was replaced by Andra Faye. The group then featured Rabson on piano
, vocals
and guitar
, Adegbalola on vocals and guitar, and Faye on vocals, bass
, mandolin
, violin
and guitar.
Saffire's music was a combination of serious blues songs and comedic novelty song
s. They played original songs (such as "Do Your Duty", "You Got to Know Him" and "Tain't Nobody's Business"), and well as the music of blueswomen who have inspired them, such as Big Mama Thornton
, Ida Cox
and Koko Taylor
. Their music, both comedic and serious, tends to deal with feminist themes, which has made them popular outside of traditional blues circles.
They were the first acoustic
band to be signed by Alligator Records
. Their song "Middle Aged Blues Boogie," written by Adegbalola, was named best original song at the W.C. Handy Awards (now the Blues Music Awards) in 1990. Saffire has shared the stage with B.B. King, Ray Charles
, Willie Dixon
and Koko Taylor
.
An announcement on the group's website in November, 2009, stated Saffire had retired and amicably disbanded.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musical ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area. It was founded in 1987 by Ann Rabson
Ann Rabson
Ann Rabson is an American blues vocalist, pianist and guitar player. She is a solo recording artist signed to Alligator Records and was a member of Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, an acoustic blues band that disbanded amicably in 2009.Rabson has been playing and singing the blues professionally...
, Gaye Adegbalola
Gaye Adegbalola
Gaye Adegbalola is an American blues singer and guitarist, teacher, lecturer, activist, and photographer.-Biography:...
and Earlene Lewis. Lewis separated from the band in 1992 and was replaced by Andra Faye. The group then featured Rabson on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Adegbalola on vocals and guitar, and Faye on vocals, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and guitar.
Saffire's music was a combination of serious blues songs and comedic novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
s. They played original songs (such as "Do Your Duty", "You Got to Know Him" and "Tain't Nobody's Business"), and well as the music of blueswomen who have inspired them, such as Big Mama Thornton
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
, Ida Cox
Ida Cox
Ida Cox was an African American singer and vaudeville performer, best known for her blues performances and recordings...
and Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
. Their music, both comedic and serious, tends to deal with feminist themes, which has made them popular outside of traditional blues circles.
They were the first acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
band to be signed by Alligator Records
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
. Their song "Middle Aged Blues Boogie," written by Adegbalola, was named best original song at the W.C. Handy Awards (now the Blues Music Awards) in 1990. Saffire has shared the stage with B.B. King, Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
and Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
.
An announcement on the group's website in November, 2009, stated Saffire had retired and amicably disbanded.
Discography
- Middle Age Blues (self-produced cassette, 1987)
- Uppity Blues Women (1990)
- Hot Flash (1991)
- Broad Casting (1992)
- Old, New, Borrowed & Blue (1994)
- Cleaning House (1996)
- Live & Uppity (1998)
- Ain't Gonna Hush (2001)
- Deluxe Edition (compilation, 2006)
- Havin' The Last Word (2009)