Helen Humes discusses the Basie band.

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Helen Humes discusses her start in music as a young woman.

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Helen Humes discusses her break from singing.

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Q: “Were you going to go into the Basie band? Because I think Billie Holiday was still singing with the band at this point [nineteen-thirties], wasn’t she?”

A: “No, not when I made this because the first time that I met Bassey, it was in Cincinnati. I was working with Al Caesar’s Band in Cincinnati and after they finished work, well, Bassey then came over to the club where we were. And well, he heard me sing and he asked me, you know, would I like to join his band because Billie Holiday had left, and so I asked him what was he paying? He said, "Thirty-five dollars a week." I said, "Oh, I make that here and I don't have to travel." So I turned that down.”