Ada Brown

Ada Scott Brown (May 1, 1890 – March 30, 1950) was an American blues and jazz singer and actress. She is best known for her recordings of "Ill Natural Blues," "Break o' Day Blues," and "Evil Mama Blues." Her cousin James Scott was a ragtime composer and pianist. Aside from her time with Moten, she did several tours alongside bandleaders such as George E. Lee. She worked at the London Palladium and on Broadway in the late 1930s.

Brown was regularly reviewed in the black press from 1920 to 1929 as her career continued to grow in vaudeville theaters. Unlike country bluesmen who accompanied themselves on acoustic guitar and harmonica, she worked with jazz pianists to give her songs a beat. Her style of blues was known as “blues wedded to jazz.” She also appeared in Harlem to Hollywood, accompanied by pianist Harry Swannagan. One of her last appearances was in Memphis Bound, shortly before her retirement.