Hit the Books with CBS’ “Ghosts” – Alberta Haynes
This week’s episode of Hit the Books with the CBS Ghosts honors the greatest singer of all time, Alberta Haynes.
Played by Danielle Pinock, Alberta is a jazz singer who seems to have died in the 1920s. This hypothesis stems from his references to prohibition and bootleggers. In “Alberta’s Fan”, it is revealed that she died from drinking poisoned bootleg liquor.
I guess Alberta Haynes is perhaps based on four women who were jazz and blues singers; these being Bessie Smith, My Rainey, granny smith and Alberta hunter.[1] All four are musical icons of the 1920s and had incredible careers. For Bessie Smith I would recommend reading Blues Empress in Black Chattanooga. I also think everyone should listen to Bessie Smith”depressed blues.” It’s not only an amazing song, but it was also co-written by Alberta Hunter. (Don’t worry, we’ll come back to it.)
Unfortunately, for Mamie Smith, I couldn’t find any books on her. So for Smith I would recommend reading this New York Times article how important his song, “Crazy Blues”, was to the music industry. You can listen to it here.
[1] It should be noted that there are dozens of other 1920s jazz and blues singers who could also have shaped Alberta Haynes’ creation, but these are the four that stand out the most to me.
A variety of books have been written about Ma Rainey, so I want to recommend you look at it instead. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. It was a 1982 play that was adapted into a Netflix movie in 2020, and starred Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. The trailer is here and check out Davis’ performance of “Deep Moaning Blues.”
Going back to Alberta Hunter, I have no evidence that she influenced the creation of Alberta Haynes. However, in addition to their similar names, Hunter’s singing career began in a mess and she was active in Chicago in the 1920s; a time known for gangsters and smugglers. It’s safe to assume that Hunter lived a life with the kinds of colorful characters that Haynes frequently conjures up.
Beyond that, Hunter retired in the 1950s, but then enjoyed a career resurgence in the 1970s, as after retiring from nursing. This final act of her career reintroduced her to former fans and introduced her to another generation of pop culture. It is therefore likely that some of the creations on Ghosts might have heard of her.
Anyway, here’s Hunter yelling at Bessie Smith and then singing “No one knows you when you’re down and away.”
That said, a general book on African Americans and jazz that I would recommend is African Americans in the Jazz Age: A Decade of Struggle and Promise. It is one of the best texts on this subject. If you just want to know more about popular jazz songs from the 1920s, then The Jazz Age: Popular Music in the 1920s is a must read.
It wasn’t even mentioned in Ghostsbut I’m willing to bet if Alberta was real they would have heard of the New Orleans Axman. The Axeman is the name given to an unknown character who murdered various people in New Orleans in 1919. This story was well known in New Orleans for years. The Ghoul Boys, formerly of Buzzfeed and now Watcher Entertainment, have this mystery covered here.
If you know of any other Jazz Era murder mysteries, mention them in the comments. I love a good ghost story with jazz.
For more information on Ghostscheck out his home page and follow him on Twitter @GhostsCBS.
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[1] It should be noted that there are dozens of other 1920s jazz and blues singers who could also have shaped Alberta Haynes’ creation, but these are the four that stand out the most to me.
