Maria Muldaur Salutes Her Blues Mentor on 'One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey'

05-19-2025

(MPM) Six-time Grammy nominee Maria Muldaur, who's been dubbed "The First Lady of Roots Music" for previous albums touching on her wide-ranging influences from blues, country, folk, jazz and even jug band music, continues her exploration of the great American roots music songbook with the July 11 release of One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey, from Nola Blue Records. She's joined on the new disc for duets by special guests multi-Grammy winner Taj Mahal and legendary bluesman Elvin Bishop, plus sessions with acclaimed New Orleans band Tuba Skinny.

From her long-time San Francisco Bay Area base, on One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey, Maria Muldaur honors her mentor, Classic Blues Queen Victoria Spivey. Known for her sassy, spunky Blues delivery, Spivey had her first big hit in 1926 with the self-penned risque "Black Snake Blues," the first of many naughty, bawdy Blues she wrote and recorded in her long and prolific career. As a Blues singer, she worked with many of the greats of her day: Louis Armstrong, Lonnie Johnson, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc., but expanded her career to include acting in movies and Broadway musicals throughout the '30s and '40s. During the folk and blues revival of the 1960s, Spivey started her own label, Spivey Records, giving recording opportunities to many old blues veterans as well as encouragement and support to budding new artists. She was the first to record Bob Dylan and offered Maria Muldaur her first opportunity to record, taking her under her wing and mentoring her in the fine points of performing and singing the blues. Now, more than 60 years later, Maria Muldaur presents an anthology of Spivey's blues, both well-known and obscure, in loving recognition of both her personal impact and her vast contributions to the genre.

"When I was a young aspiring singer in the early 1960s, one of the great Classic Blues Queens of the 1920s and '30s, Victoria Spivey, took me under her wing and mentored me," Muldaur remembers in the album's liner notes. "Although, of course, I appreciated it at the time, over the years I've come to realize just how important her encouragement and support were to me and so many other musicians!

"To my surprise, a music writer recently dubbed her 'The Madonna of the Blues,' but thinking about it, I know exactly what he meant! Victoria was ambitious, tenacious, sassy, spunky, boldly & unabashedly expressing her sexuality, versatile and multitalented, singing and writing not just Blues, but pop and novelty songs of the day, dancing, playing piano and other instruments, acting in movies and stage shows, ... and entrepreneurial... publishing her own Blues newsletter and starting her own record label, Spivey Records, to give recording opportunities to both old Blues veterans and young hopefuls just starting out (like myself and Bob Dylan, to name a few!). I was so pleased to find and collaborate with so many fine young musicians who are embracing and carrying forward the rich legacy of this 'vintage music.' This album is a loving tribute to Victoria Spivey for all she brought to the Blues and for the great influence she was on my musical journey. ENJOY!"

"This project is both professionally and personally very significant to me," says Nola Blue Records president Sallie Bengtson. "Similar to the ways in which Victoria's support and encouragement of Maria were so important, I feel much the same about an industry icon like Maria placing her confidence in Nola Blue for her 'bucket list' project. She and I were first introduced at the conclusion of our label's tenth anniversary celebration year, and it felt like divine affirmation of our efforts to that point and encouragement to stay the course!"