Virginia Liston
Virginia Liston (née Crawford; c. 1890 – June 1932) was an influential American classic female blues and jazz singer, primarily known for her work in vaudeville. Born around 1890 in Louisiana, she began her career in show business by 1912, performing in local theaters and later in Texas. By 1911, she had married singer Dave Liston, although they separated by 1913, and she retained his surname professionally.
In the early 1920s, Liston lived in Washington, D.C., and performed with her second husband, pianist Sam Gray, as the duo Liston and Liston. They toured the T.O.B.A. vaudeville circuit and performed in venues across the South, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City. Around 1923, Liston settled in New York City and began recording with prominent musicians like Clarence Williams, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet. Her recordings with Clarence Williams' Blue Five, including "You've Got the Right Key, but the Wrong Keyhole" and "Early in the Morning," are particularly notable.
Liston recorded extensively between 1923 and 1926, producing 36 tracks with Okeh and Vocalion. Her songs often featured sexual innuendo, as seen in titles like "Rolls Royce Papa" and "You Can Dip Your Bread in My Gravy, but You Can't Have None of My Chops." She divorced Sam Gray in 1925, and her last recording session took place in 1927 with the Clarence Williams Washboard Band.
In 1929, Liston retired from the music industry, remarried, and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she worked for a church. She passed away in June 1932. Despite her relatively short career, Virginia Liston's contributions to blues and jazz remain significant, particularly her collaborations with some of the era's most celebrated musicians.