Little Miss Cornshucks (or Lil' Miss Cornshucks) was the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

of Mildred Jorman (born Mildred Elizabeth Cummings; May 26, 1923 – November 11, 1999). She was an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and jazz singer and songwriter. In her stage show from the 1940s and early 1950s she portrayed herself as a simple farm girl. Her vocal style inspired later R&B and soul singers, among them

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and " ...

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atl ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

, Wynona Carr and Billy Wright. Her own career never achieved full recognition in her lifetime.

Life

Cummings was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

.Dave Penny, "Little Miss Cornshucks"
This is My Story. BlackCat Rockabilly. She was the youngest child of a large musical family of

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

origin. Mildred began to sing with her sisters, as the Cummings Sisters, performing spirituals in the Dayton area. By the time she was seven, she was making solo appearances in young people's amateur talent shows. She developed a stage wardrobe that appealed to black southern agricultural workers who at that time were migrating from the south to the US northern industrial cities. Her stage show was performed barefoot, with a

straw hat A straw hat is a wide-brimmed hat woven out of straw or straw-like synthetic materials. Straw hats are a type of sun hat designed to shade the head and face from direct sunlight, but are also used in fashion as a decorative element or a ...

, braids, backwoods clothes and a basket to evoke memories of the rural south. She would appear uncouth by staring blankly and picking her nose. When her act started she would move into the latest dances and songs sung with a deep feeling coming from bitter experience. This appeal to rural migrants was used by other artists of that era such as

who sang as ''Little Miss Sharecropper''.Deffaa, Chip
''Blue Rhythms: Six lives in rhythm and blues''
University of Illinois Press, 1996 , . In US and Canadian English a cornshuck is the husk of an ear of

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

. In 1940, Cummings married Cornelius Jorman, with whom she had three children. Her husband worked as her manager and accompanied her at her performances. By 1942 she was a star in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area, performing at the Rhumboogie Club. The band leader and arranger

Marl Young Marl Young (January 29, 1917 – 29 April 2009) was an American musician and arranger who helped with the merger of the all-black and all-white musicians unions in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. He later became the first black music director of a ...

who worked at the club recognised her talent and signed her under contract to the then famous

Club DeLisa The Club DeLisa, also written Delisa or De Lisa, was an African-American nightclub and music venue in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 5521 South State Street (State Street and Garfield Avenue, on the South Side), it was possibly the most prestigious ...

. A year later, the future owner of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...

, heard her sing in

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and wrote in his memoirs:

"1943, I was about 19 years old; I went to a nightclub in the northeast black district of Washington DC and heard a singer named Little Miss Cornshucks and thought: 'Oh God!' She was better than anything I had heard so far. She came across like a country girl, provided with a headscarf and a basket in her hand and so on; but she could sing the
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
better than anyone I've heard to date. That night I asked her if I could record a record with her. We then played '
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
' and a few other blues numbers and the song 'So Long'. She had such a wonderful sound and I remember how I always thought, 'Oh my God, and I have no record company; I can make the drive just for myself.

" So Long" became her signature tune and a regional hit in 1943 for the short-lived Sunbeam label. For health reasons, Miss Cornshucks had to interrupt her career in the mid-1940s. She returned to Ohio and there she finally separated from her husband Cornelius, who was involved in the drug trade. She then returned to her native

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

and became increasingly dependent on alcohol. Her Sunbeam recordings were now republished on the Old Swingmaster label and she enjoyed some success in the Detroit area based at the Frolics Bar. Performances in New York and Washington followed. During one of these tours she met the dancer Henry "Henny" Ramsey, who became her lover and with whom she spent several years on tour while her children stayed with her family in Dayton. Ramsey and Cornshucks lived together for a while in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where she appeared in the clubs of Central Avenue, such as the Last Word Room and Club Alabam. In 1948 she appeared at the

Million Dollar Theater The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's '' The Silent Man''. It's the northernmost of the collect ...

in down-town Los Angeles. This was a converted former cinema. She was billed as "the new look in comedy" and "a rustic comedienne". Her comedic talent gave her a small film role in ''Campus Sleuth'', a 1947 B-movie made by

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

, and produced by

The Bowery Boys The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 195 ...

and

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

. In May 1948, she recorded new songs for the small label Miltone in California under the direction of saxophonist and producer

Maxwell Davis Thomas Maxwell Davis, Jr. (January 14, 1916 – September 18, 1970), was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist, arranger, bandleader and record producer. Biography Davis was born in Independence, Kansas in 1916. In 1937, he moved to Lo ...

. In 1948, she performed alongside Dizzy Gillespie at the fourth famed annual Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

in Los Angeles which was produced by

Leon Hefflin Sr. Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

on September 12. Also on the program that day were

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

, The Sweethearts of Rhythm,

The Honeydrippers The Honeydrippers were an English rock and roll band of the 1980s, deriving their name from Roosevelt Sykes, an American blues singer also known as "Honeydripper". Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant formed the group in 1981 to sati ...

, Joe Turner,

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

, The Blenders, and The Sensations. The 1950s saw her return to Chicago and she continued to sing in the clubs there while living in

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

, Wisconsin. In late 1960 she came out of semi retirement to record an LP for the

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

label, produced by

Sonny Thompson Sonny Thompson (probably August 23, 1916 – August 11, 1989), born Alfonso Thompson or Hezzie Tompson, was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography There is some uncertainty over Thomps ...

, entitled ''The Loneliest Gal In Town.'' Success eluded her and went instead to

who recorded a single of the LP's soul-style version of "

Try a Little Tenderness "Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. Original version It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded ...

", and had a hit with it. Mildred Jorman died at her home in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, in November 1999, aged 76, after a series of

strokes A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop funct ...

Recording history

*Chicago, September 1946: "So Long", "Gonna Leave Here Walkin'" (Cummins), "Have You Ever Loved Somebody"; Sunbeam; Little Miss Cornshucks with Marl Young's Orchestra *Chicago, October 1946: "For Old Time's Sake", "I Do not Love You Any More", "When Mommy Sings a Lullaby"; Sunbeam; Marl Young Orchestra with Marl Young (p, dir, arr); Melvin Moore (tp); Nick Cooper (tp); Nat Jones (as); Frank Derrick (as); Moses Gant (ts); Wilson Rail (B); Oliver Coleman (d). *Los Angeles May 1948: "Cornshuck's Blues", "In the Rain"; Miltone/DeLuxe; Little Miss Cornshucks with Maxwell Davis & The Blenders *Los Angeles May 1948: "He's Funny That Way", Miltone; Little Miss Cornshucks with Calvin Jackson & The Blenders *Los Angeles May 1948: "True (You Do not Love Me)", " Why Was I Born", Teardrops, Miltone, Little Miss Cornshucks with Maxwell Davis & The Blenders *Los Angeles, August 12, 1949: "Waiting in Vain", "(Now That I'm Free) You Turned Your Back on Me", "Keep You Hand on Your Heart", "Time After Time"; Aladdin. Little Miss Cornshucks and Her All-Stars; Maxwell Davis (ts) *Los Angeles, 1951: "Papa Tree Top Blues", "So Long", "Rock Me to Sleep", "

Try A Little Tenderness "Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods. Original version It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded ...

","Little Miss Cornshucks Try A Little Tenderness"
(from the Chess LP ''The Loneliest Gal In Town''), YouTube. "Do Not Marry Too Soon", "Cause I Lost My Helping Hand"; Coral; Lil' Miss Cornshucks with Orchestra:

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, Bumps Meyers, Que Martyn, Charles Waller (sax),

Eddie Beal Eddie Beal (June 13, 1910, Redlands, California – December 15, 1984, Los Angeles) was an American jazz pianist. He was the brother of Charlie Beal. Beal started on drums but switched to piano in his teens. Early in the 1930s he worked in the ...

(p) Billy Hadnott (b) *Chicago, 1961: "No Teasing Around", "It Do Me So Good"; Chess; Studio band (p, g, b, dr), strings

References

External links

* Rich Kienzle
"Little Miss Cornshucks 1947-1951 (Classics)"
review from ''Not Fade Away'', Issue #47, September–October 2003. * Dave Penny

This is My Story. BlackCat Rockabilly. * Rebecca Maxted
"Try A Little Tenderness: The Lost Legacy of Little Miss Cornshucks
A visual and musical accompaniment to

Salena Godden Salena Godden is an English poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist. Born in the UK, Salena Godden is of Jamaican-Irish heritage and based in London. Widely anthologised, she has published several books. She has also writt ...

's love letter to the best blues singer you've never heard o
BBC Radio 4"
May 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cornshucks, Little Miss 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 1923 births 1999 deaths African-American songwriters American blues singers American jazz singers American women jazz singers American women songwriters Jazz musicians from Ohio Musicians from Dayton, Ohio Singers from Ohio Songwriters from Ohio