Georgia Gibbs

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Georgia Gibbs, often billed as “Her Nibbs,” enjoyed a successful career as a singer with the big bands beginning in 1936. Over the years she performed with Tommy Dorsey, Hal Kemp, and Artie Shaw. On radio, she sang on “Your Hit Parade” and the “Camel Caravan,” both of which were great training grounds for young singers and musicians. She was along the first band singers to sign a solo contract with a record company, Majestic, in 1946. When she recorded for Mercury a few years later she waxed a string of hits including "Kiss of Fire." While under contract, Georgia was asked to cover songs that were already recorded by black R&B artists (such as Etta James and LaVern Baker). The record company found that cover songs by white performers were played more often on radio and included in more jukeboxes. Georgia later explained that she had no say in what material she was asked to record during that time of the mid-1950s.  

Image courtesy of the Downbeat archives and General Artists Corporation.