Sweet Emma Barret

Sweet Emma Barrett (1897-1983) was a self-taught jazz pianist and singer from New Orleans that worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936 under Oscar “Papa” Celestin and then William Ridgely.

Success
At 50 years old, Barrett took a steady gig at the local club, Happy Landing. She enjoyed local success in the Crescent City and it was her 1961 recording debut that brought her international fame. Most of her songs were Dixieland jazz instrumentals.

Barrett was given the nickname, Bell Gal, because she wore a red skull cap and garters with Christmas bells that jingled in time with her music. She was featured on the cover of Glamour magazine and recognized internationally. She played with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and took it on national and international tours, including a time at Disneyland in 1963.

After much acclaim around the world, Barrett returned to her native New Orleans to play in her beloved French Quarter. In 1963, her album, The Bell Gal and Her Dixieland Boys Music, was produced. She sang on four of the eight songs and heads two overlapping groups. She is joined by banjoist Emmanuel Sayles, bassist Placide Adams, and drummer Paul Barbarin throughout the album. The remaining four songs, features trumpeter Don Albert, trombonist Frog Joseph and clarinetist Raymond Burke. This album was an excellent example of the New Orleans jazz sound with numbers such as “Big Butter and Egg Man”, “Bogalusa Strut” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band made a brief appearance in the 1965 film, The Cincinnati Kid, that feature Barrett as a vocalist and pianist.