Priscilla Bowman (born Priscilla I. Mills, May 30, 1928 – July 24, 1988) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues singer, who had a No. 1 hit single on the Billboard magazine R&B chart in 1955 with the song "Hands Off". She was the lead singer for the Jay McShann band.
Priscilla Bowman | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Priscilla Mills |
| Born | May 30, 1928 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 1988 (aged 60) Kansas City, Kansas |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | c.1950 – c.1975 |
| Formerly of | Jay McShann |
Biography
editThe daughter of Ethel and Solomon Mills, she was born in Kansas City, Kansas,[1] and has been called the city's "original rock 'n' roll mama."[2] Her influences included singers Ruth Brown and Annie Laurie.[1] She joined the Jay McShann band in the early 1950s. In 1955 the band signed with Vee-Jay Records, and Bowman recorded two sessions with them. One of the songs, "Hands Off", became a hit and stayed at No. 1 on the R&B chart for three weeks in December 1955.[3]
She recorded three sessions for Vee-Jay and its subsidiary label, Falcon, as a solo singer between 1957 and 1959 but could not repeat her success.[2] However, in 1958 she was the first to record the song "A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)", with uncredited vocal backing by The Spaniels.[4] The song was written with Brook Benton and became a hit when Benton recorded it himself as a duo with Dinah Washington in 1960.[5]
Bowman recorded again for Abner Records in 1959 and continued to record and make personal appearances, some with McShann, through the mid-1970s. She retired to family life.[1] A compilation album of her recordings, An Original Rock & Roll Mama, was released in 1986.
Bowman died in July 1988 from lung cancer at the age of 60.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 354. ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b "Vee-Jay". Campber.people.clemson.edu. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 298.
- ^ JC Marion (2006). "Hands Off : Priscilla Bowman". Home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ Rob Finnis and Tony Rounce, Booklet with CD "You Heard It Here First", Ace Records CDCHD1204, 2008
- ^ Rock, Doc. "The Dead Rock Stars Club - The 1980s". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.