Lucille Bogan

If there was one artist who epitomized the raunchy, sexually explicit blues of the 1930s, it was Lucille Bogan. She was known for her outrageous lyrics and sensual delivery, which caused controversy at the time but have since become emblematic of a genre that has influenced countless artists who followed in her wake.

About Lucille Bogan

Born in 1897 in Amory, Mississippi, Lucille Bogan moved to Birmingham, Alabama, as a child. Her father was a railroad worker, and her mother managed a boardinghouse. Bogan showed an early aptitude for singing and began performing in local churches and theaters before moving to Chicago in the 1920s to pursue her music career. It was there that she became part of the burgeoning blues scene, which was dominated by male artists at the time.

Bogan signed with the Okeh label in 1923, and over the next decade recorded dozens of sides, many of which were never released or remain lost. One of her earliest hits was "Sweet Petunia Blues," recorded in 1925, which featured her trademark sensual lyrics and earthy vocal style. Bogan was a versatile singer, equally adept at slow, mournful ballads and up-tempo, swinging numbers.

As a lyricist, Bogan was fearless, tackling taboo subjects such as prostitution, drug addiction, and homosexuality head-on. Her songs were never subtle, but they were always honest and direct, and she sang them with an authority that left no doubt about their meaning. Her songs were celebrations of the lascivious and scandalous, exalting in the pleasure of the flesh and defying the morals of the day.

Bogan's most famous song is undoubtedly "Shave 'Em Dry," recorded in 1935, which includes such lines as "I got nipples on my titties, big as the end of my thumb / I got something between my legs that'll make a dead man come." The song was so controversial that it was banned from the radio, but it became an underground hit and cemented Bogan's reputation as a provocateur.

Bogan's career was cut short by her premature death in 1948 at the age of 51. She was largely forgotten until the blues revival of the 1960s, when her records were rediscovered and championed by a new generation of musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, who cited Bogan as an influence. Today, Lucille Bogan is recognized as one of the pioneering women of the blues, a fearless artist who defied convention and paved the way for generations of musicians to come.

In the end, Lucille Bogan's legacy is one of raw sexuality and unbridled passion, a testament to the power of music to transcend boundaries and challenge norms. Her songs continue to be celebrated for their fearless candor and their unflinching portrayal of life on the fringes of society. And though she may have been marginalized in her own time, today Lucille Bogan stands as a towering figure in the history of the blues, a woman who refused to be silenced and who blazed a trail for generations of women to come.