Irma Curry (born October 7, 1928) is not exactly a household name; in fact I would be surprised if very many people are aware that she was a singer of more than average ability. She aspired to be a blues and jazz singer and she had the voice and delivery to achieve that aim. Her phrasing and diction were immaculate and she had an in born swing which many singers failed to deliver.
Born during the Depression, Irma and her brother and sister were raised in Baltimore. As a child she was surrounded by music. Her parents and their families sang gospel and popular songs, and the radio was always on. Her father was a labourer and her mother was a housewife who also did factory work. She had one brother and a sister. Her parents and their families sang gospel and popular songs.
Irma never took music or singing lessons but she harmonized with her parents and listened carefully to the records of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, June Christy, Margaret Whiting, Judy Garland, Jo Stafford and others. Although she never intended to be a singer, music was always in her heart and later she could play piano by ear. By the time she attended the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, she entered a singing contest and won.
Her first professional break came when she was spotted singing at church by a Baltimore radio announcer named Chuck Richards. When TV arrived in the late 1940s, a local station held a big contest. Chuck entered her and she won for eight weeks straight. One of the prizes was an engagement at Club Astoria, a local nightclub. Irma wasn’t old enough so she had to have permission from her parents. Whilst at the Astora she sang mostly standards with a four-piece house band.
During 1949, the Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Ave. hosted many of the big acts that came through town. During my Irma’s week at the Astoria, Lionel Hampton was at the Royal. Hampton and some of his musicians stopped by the club after their concert. Hampton was amazed about her voice and hired her on the spot. With Chuck Richards as her chaperone she arrived at New York in January 1950.
After her studio audition sessions Hampton wanted her as a full time singer. She soon became good friends with Hampton’s wife Gladys and was nicknamed “Lil’ Bits,” because she was only 4 foot 10½ inches and weighed about 90 pounds. She spent a few years touring with the band but by 1953 had left due to a discrepancy over her wages.
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| Quincy Jones & Irma |
It’s not until 1959 Irma that I find Irma was singing with the Count Lanz Quartet. Then in 1962 that Irma appears in the press again when she recorded her only album with the multi-instrumentalist Don Elliott and his Orchestra (which in fact is only a sextet), with arrangements by Al Cohn. Unlike most singers who on their first album tend to chose well known standards Irma Curry took the brave decision to record an album of songs with lyrics by Jack Segal a talented writer but hardly high profile.
Irma also recorded several singles with Benny Carter in 1964 and with the Alan Simon Trio in 1985. In between, she performed at clubs in New York and Hollywood, including gigs with Louis Jordan, but it was getting harder to find opportunities when rock and soul came in. She went back to New York and worked around town with her own trio. By then, disco was taking over, but Irma was fortunate to continue working through the 1970s and played with Roland Hanna, Ron Carter and others.
Irma never stopped singing. She stayed in New York and raised her daughter, Kim. They eventually moved to Philadelphia and then to Connecticut when Kim attended college.
(And that dear music lovers is where the trail ends. The biography comes from a 2015 interview, so I can only assume Irma is still alive as I can find no other press statements, which now means she is 93 years old.
(Edited from Marc Myers 2015 interview & Fresh Sound Records)