big women

I know, I know, another youtube post.
Hey, I’m doing some reading on blues music and women blues artists, and they reference a bunch of soundies – and the biggest collection of soundies is on youtube.
This one is fascinating. Louis Armstrong’s playing Swingin’ on Nothin’, and the track features Velma Middleton and George Washington on vocals. Middleton is the interesting part. Armstrong was loyal to her for years, and even though she wasn’t the best vocalist, he kept her in his band and on his recordings.
But the bit that interests me is the way she dances in the following clip. She’s a big woman – tall and carrying a lot of weight. But she’s down on the ground in hiiigh heels and a big flowy dress. It’s kind of an understatement to say she offers an interesting contrast to the dancing female bodies in this clip!