Virginia Liston

Virginia Liston (née Crawford; c. 1890 – June 1932) was an American classic female blues and jazz singer. She spent most of her career in vaudeville. She performed with her husband, Samuel H. Gray, as Liston and Liston. In the 1920s she made a series of recordings that included performances with Clarence Williams and his Blue Five on "You've Got the Right Key, but the Wrong Keyhole" and "Early in the Morning", and with the Clarence Williams Washboard Band on "Cushion Foot Stomp", and "P.D.Q. Blues".

Birth and Death Data: Born 1890 (Louisiana), Died June 1, 1932 (St. Louis)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1922 - 1926

Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto, composer, songwriter, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Columbia	80584	10-in.	10/3/1922	Mexican blues	Leona Williams	Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band	songwriter
Columbia	81509	10-in.	1/29/1924	You don't know my mind	Clara Smith	Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with alto saxophone and piano	lyricist
OKeh	S-71846	10-in.	September 1923	Bed time blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, songwriter
OKeh	S-71847	10-in.	September 1923	You thought I was blind but now I see	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, lyricist
OKeh	S-71862	10-in.	September 1923	You don't know my mind blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, lyricist
OKeh	S-71863	10-in.	September 1923	Sally Long blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, lyricist
OKeh	S-72063	10-in.	11/15/1923	Don’t agitate me blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, songwriter
OKeh	S-72064	10-in.	11/15/1923	Happy shout	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, songwriter
OKeh	S-72101	10-in.	November 1923	House rent stomp	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72102	10-in.	November 1923	Shreveport blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72232	10-in.	Jan. 1924	You can have it (I don't want it)	Sam Gray ; Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female-male vocal duet, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72233	10-in.	Jan. 1924	Just take one long last lingering look	Sam Gray ; Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female-male vocal duet, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72258	10-in.	Jan. 1924	I don't love nobody	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72259	10-in.	Jan. 1924	'Tain't a doggone thing but the blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72265	10-in.	Jan. 1924	Jail house blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72266	Not documented	Jan. 1924	[Unknown title(s)]	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with guitar	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72478	10-in.	Apr. 1924	Mississippi blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72479	10-in.	Apr. 1924	I never knew what the blues were (Until you went away)	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72480	10-in.	Apr. 1924	San Francisco blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72514	10-in.	May 1924	You don't know my mind blues	Jamaica Jazzers	Jazz/dance quartet	composer
OKeh	S-72890	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Pineland blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72891	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Weeping willow blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72915	10-in.	10/17/1924	Early in the morning	Clarence Williams’ Blue Five ; Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance quintet	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72916	10-in.	10/17/1924	You've got the right key, but the wrong keyhole	Clarence Williams’ Blue Five ; Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance quintet	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72934	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Give it to me good	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72935	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Bill Draw	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto, songwriter
OKeh	S-72937	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Monkey jungle blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-72938	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Night latch key blues	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with clarinet and piano	vocalist, contralto, lyricist, composer
OKeh	S-72939	10-in.	Oct. 1924	Any day the sun don't shine	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with clarinet and piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73387	10-in.	6/1/1925	Papa de da da	Virginia Liston ; Clarence Williams	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73388	10-in.	6/1/1925	I ain't gonna play no second fiddle	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73389	Not documented	6/1/1925	[Unknown title(s)]	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73390	10-in.	June 1925	Make me a pallet	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano and mandolin	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73391	10-in.	June 1925	You can dip your bread in my gravy, but you can't have none of my chops	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with piano, mandolin, and banjo	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73395	10-in.	6/3/1925	I ain't got nobody (And nobody cares for me)	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with reed organ	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73396	10-in.	6/3/1925	Black sheep blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with reed organ	vocalist, contralto
OKeh	S-73397	10-in.	6/3/1925	I'm sick of fattening frogs for snakes	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with reed organ	vocalist, contralto
Brunswick	C363	10-in.	5/29/1926	Titanic blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with organ	vocalist, contralto, composer
Brunswick	C172-C173	10-in.	4/20/1926	Titanic blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with clarinet and piano	vocalist, contralto, composer
Brunswick	C174-C175	10-in.	4/20/1926	Rolls-Royce papa	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with clarinet and piano	vocalist, contralto, composer
Brunswick	C359-C360	10-in.	5/29/1926	Rolls-Royce papa	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto, composer
Brunswick	C361-C362	10-in.	5/29/1926	Titanic blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto, composer
Brunswick	C364-C365	10-in.	5/29/1926	Evil minded blues	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto
Brunswick	C366-C368	10-in.	5/29/1926	I'm gonna get me a man, that’s all	Virginia Liston	Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio	vocalist, contralto, composer

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Liston, Virginia," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109153.

Liston, Virginia. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109153.

"Liston, Virginia." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.

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Virginia Liston

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