Big Maybelle

Mabel Louise Smith, known as Big Maybelle, was one of the most powerful and underappreciated vocalists in rhythm and blues history. She sang with the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm and Christine Chatman's orchestra before launching a solo career that produced the classic recordings 'Gabbin' Blues,' 'Way Back Home,' 'Candy,' and an early version of 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' that predated Jerry Lee Lewis's hit by four years. Her voice was enormous, rough-edged, and deeply emotional, capable of both delicate ballad work and roof-raising shouting. She recorded for King, Okeh, Savoy, and other labels and was a consistent presence on the R&B charts throughout the 1950s. Drug addiction undermined her later career, and she died in a diabetic coma in 1972 at age 47.