Dorothea Trowbridge

Dorothea Trowbridge (born c. 1914), first name also spelled Dorthea, Doretha, was an American blues singer active in St. Louis in the 1930s. A few recordings by her remain, at least one of which includes lyrics on the theme of "grinding".

Career Trowbridge is thought to have been born in Dublin, Georgia. during which she recorded a version of the raunchy "Steady Grinding". who recorded the song "Steady Grinding Blues" with Roosevelt Sykes and/or 1934 (Decca 7080).

She is credited for the words and music of the song "Bad Luck Blues", which she recorded in 1933; it is registered in the US Copyright Catalog for January 24, 1935.

In his memoir, Henry Townsend recalled that she was at one time the girlfriend of pianist Roosevelt Sykes and that she got to record through Sykes, or possibly through Jesse Johnson, the brother of "Stump" Johnson; he also mentioned that in the early 1930s she was singing in many places around town, and had recorded with St. Louis pianist Pinetop Sparks ("Slavin' Mama Blues"). "Slavin' Mama Blues" is included in an anthology of Barrelhouse blues, Barrelhouse women 1925-1933 (1984). In recent scholarship, the explicit lyrics for "Steady Grinding" (and those for "Steady Grinding Blues", "grind" meaning "to copulate" ) have drawn attention for the statements they make about female sexuality and empowerment among African American women of the early 20th century; among those early blueswomen scholars find "numerous open declarations of erotic desire".

Recordings August 2, 1933, Chicago: "Grinding Blues", with James "Stump" Johnson, Bluebird B-5159