Lady Joya/Melonie Davis Kennedy
Mabel Louise Smith (1924-1972) began singing Gospel as a child in her hometown of Jackson, TN. In the 1930s and 40s she sang with the Dave Clark Band, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, and African-American bandleader Christine Chatman. She was an accomplished musician by the time she toured with Tiny Bradshaw’s band from 1947 to 1950. Smith recorded nine sides with King Records in 1947.
She continued recording at Okeh, where she recorded “Whole Lotta Shaken Goin’ On” two years before Jerry Lee Lewis, and Savoy where she recorded her own hit, “Candy,” in 1956 under the stage name “Big Maybelle.” Although Johnny Mercer’s 1945 version of the same song was much smoother and more polished, Smith’s was more soulful and intimate. Like other women musicians who recorded at King Records and contributed to the fabric of post-World War II popular music, Mabel Smith’s music eludes easy categorization by genre.
"Lady Joy” (Melonie Davis Kennedy) is inspired by Mabel Smith who was “another big girl” and accomplished “amazing things.” Lady Joya shares Mabel Louise Smith’s musical trajectory, as she also began singing Gospel, in her case in the Church of the Living God in the Avondale neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. More recently, she has turned to Rhythm and Blues, which she says, bring her joy. Big Maybelle’s hit “Candy” was not recorded at King, but it reflects the intersections of genres that King fostered. Discovering the many women who recorded at King has also made Kennedy aware of the musical creativity birthed by women in Cincinnati that has and continues to shape performances today.
