From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Thu Oct 31, 2002  6:22 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Julia Lee

JULIA LEE

Born 31 October 1902, Boonville, Missouri
Died 8 December 1958, Kansas City, Missouri

Singer / pianist.
A popular entertainer who recorded frequently for Capitol during 1944-1950,
Julia Lee's double-entendre songs and rocking piano made her a major
attraction in Kansas City. She played piano and sang in her brother George
E. Lee's Orchestra during 1920-1934, recording with him in 1927 and 1929
(including "If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight") and cutting two titles
of her own in 1929 ("He's Tall, He's Dark and He's Handsome" and "Won't
You Come Over to My House"). After her brother's band broke up, she was
hired as a soloist at Milton's Tap Room in KC, which remained her base
until 1948.
In 1944, she started recording for Capitol and among her sidemen on some
sessions were Jay McShann, Vic Dickenson, Benny Carter, Red Norvo, and
Red Nichols, along with many local players. The records were credited to
"Julia Lee & Her Boyfriends". At the age of 44, she had her first hit, "Gotta
Gimme Whatcha Got" (# 3 R&B, 1946), a boogie with an undeniable rock
'n' roll rhythm. (Yes, it's the same song that Merrill Moore later recorded.)
This was followed by two number ones, "Snatch And Grab It" (1947) and
"King Size Papa" (1948), which crossed over to the pop charts, in spite of
the lyrics, which are more than a little suggestive! The last of her ten R&B
hits was "You Ain't Got It No More" (# 9, 1949), criticizing her partner's
performance in bed. My personal Julia Lee favourite.
After 1952, Julia only recorded four further songs, but she was active up
until her death in 1958. Her records have stood the test of time very well.
She had a clear, rich, relaxed voice and both her singing and piano playing
were based on solid boogie rhythms. Like that of Louis Jordan, Julia's music
belongs to an era when musicians could create a beat merely by tapping
their foot and did not feel obliged to hammer it out.

Bear Family has released her complete recordings on a 5 CD-set, Kansas
City Star (BCD 15770). If that's too much for you, there are two good recent
single-CD compilations:
Snatch And Grab It, 1944-1949 (EPM 159702, France). 22 tracks. Or:
Snatch And Grab It : The Essential Julia Lee (Indigo, 24 tracks).