"Known as Mrs. Swing in the ‘20s and ‘30s, the full-figured jazz vocalist Mildred Bailey oversaw a lifetime of swing music in her short lifespan. The angel-eyed Bailey sung her way around the jazz circuits until her abrupt death in the late ‘40s, and she will forever go down as the virtuoso behind the signature song ""Rockin' Chair.""Bailey was born with the name Mildred Rinker, raised in Washington state until her piano/singing act took her to Hollywood in the mid-1920s. The young starlet was soon the headlining act in a Hollywood nightclub, her gig involving the combination of pop, jazz and vaudeville music to create an original and highly entertaining musical style. Performing around Hollywood in the ‘20s, Bailey eventually sent a demo to ""The King of Jazz"" Paul Whiteman in 1929, quickly being accepted into his dance orchestra. Gaining much-deserved attention for her professional involvement with Whiteman, Bailey soon had her own radio show.While the ‘20s introduced Mildred Bailey to the world of music, the ‘30s introduced her to the rest of the world. Recording with guitarist Eddie Lang in 1929 brought Bailey to fame's eye, but it was her 1932 hit single ""Rockin' Chair"" that put her name on marquee signs ‘round the world. ""Rockin' Chair"" was written for Bailey by the renowned Hoagie Carmichael, recorded with a Whiteman group. After this hit, Bailey continued to wow American audiences, oftentimes employing her husband, the great xylophonist Red Norvo, to accompany her on songs and albums. The ‘30s were very successful for Bailey, and although she and Norvo ultimately divorced, Bailey continued to pump out swing hits into the ‘40s. Among other accomplishments on her resume, Bailey marked up an appearance on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio show before health problems restricted her range of musical motion in the mid-‘40s, and eventually Bailey died of a heart attack in 1951."
