Maggie Jones

Maggie Jones, "The Texas Nightingale," was born Fae Barnes in Texas around 1900. She first showed up in New York in 1922 and joined the black vaudeville circuit on the TOBA. By 1926 she was in Clarence Muse's company and was singing in the Hall Johnson choir. Maggie Jones was part of the touring company of the show Blackbirds of 1928 in which she appeared with Bill Robinson. Ultimately she returned to Texas and appeared in her own revue in Fort Worth — she is also known to have run her own clothing store. After 1934 she was not heard from again.

Maggie Jones made her debut on one of the last issued Black Swan records in July of 1923. She also appeared on Pathé and Paramount, but the lion's share of her 38 issued titles came out on Columbia in its 14000-D "race" series. Jones was a good blues singer, and accompanied on her records by a wide range of interesting performers including Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, trombonist Charlie Green, banjoist Elmer Snowden, and pianist Lemuel Fowler. Maggie Jones made her last record on October 3, 1926.