I’m a big fan of hokum, mostly because I’m a big fan of clowning for its subversive power, and I love blues sung by arse kicking women. Susie Edwards (née Hawthorne) was one half of the husband and wife team ‘Butterbeans and Susie’, performing with her husband Jodie Edwards on stage, in vaudville, theatre and records. Riverwalk Jazz did a fun radio program about them a little while ago, and you can learn more about them there.
My favourite Butterbeans and Susie song is ‘Papa Ain’t no Santa Claus (and mama ain’t no christmas tree)’:
(Papa Ain’t No Santa Claus (Mama Ain’t No Christmas Tree))
The duo also recorded ‘He Like It Slow’ with Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five in 1926.