Daily Dose Of Jazz…

May Alix was born Liza Mae Alix on August 31, 1902 in Chicago, Illinois and began her career as a teenager after winning a talent contest. She performed with the Jimmie Noone band in the clubs around the city. She later worked with bandleaders Carroll Dickerson, Duke Ellington, and Luis Russell.

She earned the nickname “Queen of the Splits” for the dance choreography included in her show, where she would do a split for every dollar thrown by a customer. Soon she joined Ollie Powers as a duo performing in cabarets.

1926 saw her recording with Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, one being Big Butter and Egg Man, which became Armstrong’s first chart hit. She went on to collaborate with Jimmie Noone on half a dozen recordings for Vocalion Records at the end of the decade including Ain’t Misbehavin, My Daddy Rocks Me, and Birmingham Bertha/Am I Blue?.

During the 1930s and early 1940s, she performed mainly in New York City. Jazz singer Alberta Hunter sometimes recorded under the name “May Alix”, with the permission of the real May Alix.

Vocalist May Alix, who left show business in 1941, died on November 1, 1983.

More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,vocal