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Gladys Bentley

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 Discography
compiled from internet research (lots of it..:)

Okeh Records
Worried Blues / Ground Hog Blues (August 1928) #8610
How Long, How Long Blues / Moanful Wailin' Blues (August 1928) #8612
Wild Geese Blues / How Much Can I Stand (Nov 1928, with piano, not released)
Wild Geese Blues / How Much Can I Stand (November 1928, with guitar) #8643
Red Beans and Rice / Big Gorilla Man (March 1929) #8707

Victor, vocal with Washboard Serenaders, 1930, a-side only
Washboard Get Together / Kazoo Moan, #38127

Excelsior Records, as Gladys Bentley Quintette, 1945
Boogie'n My Woogie / Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill, #164
Red Beans & Rice Blues / Find Out What He Likes (and How He Likes It) #165/166
Big Gorilla Blues / Lay it on the Line, #166/165
Boogie Woogie Cue / Give It Up, #168
Notoriety Papa / It Went to the Girl Next Door, #169

1952: recorded vocals on one track for
Wardell Gray & the Dexter Gordon Quintet:
Jingle Jangle Jump

Swingtime Records, as Fatso Bentley, 1953
4th of July Boogie / Gladys Could Play, #337

Flame Records, Cincinnati, mid-1950s, label mispells name, as Gladys Bently
Easter Mardi Gras / Before Midnight (Flame 1001)

In addition:
On a website devoted to copyright information (www.faqs.org)
I found listings for three songs
"written by Mary C Bentley," registered in 1952:
Easter Mardi Gras
June-Teenth Jamboree
Rough & Ready Man

"June-Teenth Jamboree" can be found on several compilations,
though I have not found actual verification it was released, or when.
Mary C Mote was her mother's name, so I have a theory that
Bentley may have used it as writing credits. And use of the
name Fatso may have been an effort to reinvent herself, as her
lesbian past was not an asset in the McCarthy years.

Recordings

Her recordings on 78 are quite rare, and I only own a few Excelsior ones.
Other scans are mostly from eBay.

 

Gladys Bentley on CD:

Obviously, the liner notes for the above are probably only talking
about Bentley's "complete recordings" on the Okeh label.

Below, various artists compilation with "Boogie'n My Woogie"

The above Clarence Profit CD (2000) contains his work with the Washboard Serenaders,
and is one of the places you can find Bentley's vocals on "Washboard Get Together"

Bentley was guest vocalist in February 1952 on a session with Dexter Gordon,
resulting in the Christmas song "Jingle Jangle Jump,"found on
this and also other Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray compilations

Bentley's "4th of July Boogie" can be found on the the
compilation below, "Night Train Keyboard Kings," 2004

Below, two of many sources for "June-Teenth Jamboree" by Fatso Bently.
I've also seen it on comps as released by Mary C. Bentley.

Note the first one is subtitled "The 1920's & The 1930's,"
but I think that song is from the early 1950's. Certainly, she
was not going by "Fatso Bently" in the early years.

Below, a record company named Tuff City (www.tuffcity.com) is releasing many old recordings,
though oddly doesn't mention the ones below on their site. I found them only at the site
emusic.com, a digital downloads subscription site. This is the only source I have
found for these Excelsior and Swingtime sides.

And her best known song, "Worried Blues," can be found on quite a number of blues compilations

So, the sides I am missing are
Excelsior Records, as Gladys Bentley Quintette, 1945
Boogie Woogie Cue / Give It Up, #168
Notoriety Papa / It Went to the Girl Next Door, #169
Swingtime Records, as Fatso Bentley, 1953, Gladys Could Play


I would love help in finding these in digital format, or any of her releases on vinyl