Effie Smith

Champagne Mind with a Soda Wat Effie Smith

Part of the explosion of black entertainment that occured on the West Coast in the early 1940's, which led to an eruption of independent record labels and the birth of the R&B record industry, California was the breeding ground for the recording careers for a host of strong, talented women performers - among them was Effie Smith, a talented singer and comedienne whose career stretched from the early 1930's until the early 1970's. Early on Effie worked in Lionel Hampton, Erskine Hawkins and Benny Carter's orchestras, and later on with small bands organized by Johnny Otis and her husband, John Criner, as well as R&B legends Roy Milton and Buddy Harper. With the advent of rock n' roll in the mid-fifties, Effie made several records with The Squires for the Los Angeles based Vita Records imprint. The Squires vocal group at the time included Don & Dewey, who went on to fame after recording a couple of 45's backing Effie with her husband, John Criner's band. Effie's son, Fred Sledge Smith, went on to become an important R&B/Soul producer and songwriter in Los Angeles. Presented here is Effie's classic single, "Champagne Mind With A Soda Water Income" b/w "Water! Water!," featuring backing by the Squires. The session was recorded on October 24 of 1955 and the single released in March of 1956. The single has been newly remastered from the original tapes for this exclusive release.