Ethel V. Finnie (January 7, 1898 – May 1, 1981) was an American

classic female blues Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by ...

singer. Her most notable recording is "You're Gonna Wake Up Some Morning, but Your Papa Will Be Gone". Information about her life outside music is sketchy.

Life

Finnie was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, the second child and only daughter of Noble Armond Finnie, a butler, and Mary "Mamie" Anderson Finnie, a housewife. She had an older brother, Noble Finnie, Jr. Finnie was a graduate of

New Orleans University New Orleans University was a historically black college that operated between 1873 and 1934 in New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of Ch ...

) and was employed as a schoolteacher at the McDonogh School No. 6. Finnie married the pianist and composer

Porter Grainger Porter Grainger ( Granger; October 22, 1891 − October 30, 1948) was an American pianist, songwriter, playwright, and music publisher. Biography When Grainger was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Granger family name did not include an "i". A ...

on September 25, 1923, in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

, with whom she performed throughout the northeastern United States, appearing at various venues and performing on radio programs, as documented in the pages of the African-American press of the period. It seems that after the birth of their daughter, Portia Lee Grainger, Finnie curtailed her activities and remained in New Orleans, close to her family, residing at 4021 Dryades Street. Eventually Porter and Finnie divorced. She subsequently married William Turner and went into business in New Orleans as a hairdresser and later as the owner of a beauty shop, restaurant and grocery. She was involved in the sorority

Iota Phi Lambda Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. () is the first African American Greek-lettered business sorority established by African American business women. There are now more than 100 chapters with membership numbering more than 1300 in 85 cities and the US ...

, serving as its southwestern regional director during the 1950s. She also served as the treasurer of the Fourth Region of the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

in the 1960s. Finnie died in New Orleans on May 1, 1981, aged 83.

Career

Finnie's short recording career was partly produced by

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game i ...

. Some of her material was written by her first husband, Porter Grainger. She recorded eight songs in 1923 and 1924, including "You're Gonna Wake Up Some Morning, but Your Papa Will Be Gone". It was released by Edison as part of the Edison Diamond Discs series in 1924 and was also issued on Edison's

Amberol Blue Amberol Records was the trademark name for cylinder records manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in the US from 1912 to 1929. They replaced the 4-minute black wax Amberol cylinders introduced in 1908, which had replaced the 2-minute wa ...

cylinder. She also recorded for

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

and Emerson during this short time span. Another song she recorded, "Mistreatin' Daddy Blues", was initially not released, which may have prevented her gaining a wider audience. Other little-known blues singers, including

Gladys Bryant Gladys Lillian Bryant (December 21, 1901 – date of death unknown) was an American blues singer and vaudeville performer She was born in Aiken, South Carolina, in 1901 or possibly 1902. She first came to notice as a singer in 1922, in the ch ...

, Dolly Ross, and Ada Brown, vied with Finnie for Grainger's material. All her recorded work was eventually released by

Document Records Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the ...

Selected discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnie, Ethel 1898 births 1981 deaths Musicians from New Orleans 20th-century African-American women singers American blues singers Classic female blues singers Edison Records artists Ajax Records artists 20th-century American singers Singers from Louisiana 20th-century American women singers

Life

Career

Selected discography

See also

References