Byrdie Green

Byrdie Green (occasionally credited as Birdie Green) (1936 – April 26, 2008) was a jazz and R&B singer from Michigan.

About Byrdie Green was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1936. The daughter of a Baptist minister, she sang first in her father's church. Later she went to New York City and performed in clubs, and at one time was a protege of Ruth Brown. She was the first artist signed to Perri Records, who debuted with Green's single "Now is the Time For Love" b/w "Be Anything." She began recording with End Records and 20th Century Fox Records, cutting singles "How Come" b/w "Tremblin'" and "Get a Hold of Yourself" b/w "Don't Take Your Love From Me" in the early 1960s. The song "Get a Hold of Yourself" is a blend of blues and gospel, and Billboard calls it "a slew rockaballad" and "her strongest item." Green performed at many popular venues, including The Apollo, Baby Grand, The Cookery and Pier 52, as well as Rutgers University, in Boston Green was acclaimed as "an excellent blues singer", "with a powerfully persuasive voice". featuring Smith which one reviewer called a "gem of soul, blues, and gospel pinned down with Smith's patented organ grooves." Another described it as "slow and moody with some presentations and steppin' out and really telling you where it's at on the others ... always sounding so very groovy."

Late career Green took a break from her career to raise her two daughters, Deborah A. Murray and Dardenella Braxton. She recalls in a 1986 interview in The New York Times "it was necessary to stop, to give them guidance. I could always start my career up again." Green returned to perform at Carnegie Recital Hall in a show entitled Byrdie Green Sings the Blues on March 7, 1975, and continued to work on tour with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. A 1977 live review by The New York Times John S. Wilson calls Green "a cool blues singer–crisp and curt, with a wry, ironic touch–and, in the blues, she projects a warmth and understanding." Another reviewer described her as having "strong, beautifully modulated voice" with "a command of dynamics which enables her to bathe a lyric in a running river of sound – soft, loud, gradations between." In the 1980s she sang at Lickety Split, Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, Sutton's and at Jimmy Weston's, sometimes accompanied by Walter Bishop Jr. In 1989 she was referred to by The New Yorker as the "little known singer Byrdie Green" as she was joined on stage by Max Roach, Jimmy Heath and Carl Coleman. She also toured with Broadway musical Black and Blue.

Green died from a chronic illness at St. Luke's Hospital on April 26, 2008, and was eulogized at Mt. Neboh Church in New York City on May 3, 2008.

Samples The song "Return of the Prodigal Son" was sampled by Grand Puba for the 1992 track "Lickshot." It also enjoyed an underground DJ following that eventually led to a 45 reissue.

Discography

Albums The Stinger Meets the Golden Thrush (Prestige, 1966) - this is a Johnny "Hammond" Smith album with Green as featured singer on 2 tracks The Golden Thrush Strikes at Midnight (Prestige, 1966) - with Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Eddie Diehl I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (Prestige, 1967) - with Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Thornel Schwartz Sister Byrdie! (Prestige, 1968) - with Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Wally Richardson; includes "Return of the Prodigal Son"

Singles Now is the Time For Love // Be Anything (Perri, 1962) How Come // Tremblin' (End, 1962) Memories Are Made of This // Tremblin' (End, 1963) Get a Hold of Yourself // Don't Take Your Love from Me (20th Century Fox, 1963) I Found My Place // I Deserve It (20th Century Fox, 1964) Through a Long and Sleepless Night // I Deserve It (20th Century Fox, 1965) Goin' Out of My Head // In The Dark (Prestige, 1966) Don't Make it Hurt // Magic of Your Love (Hallmark, 1969) We Need Christmas Now More Than Any Other Year // We Need Christmas Now More Than Any Other Year (Monologue) (Penda Mungu, 1973)