Sweet Emma Barrett
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"Sweet Emma" Barrett, born in New Orleans, March 25, 1897, was a self-taught pianist and singer who worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936, first under Oscar "Papa" Celestin, then William Ridgely. Also active with Armand Piron, John Robichaux and Sidney Desvigne, she had become a part of her home town's musical fabric when she withdrew from the music business for a few years. In 1947, she returned and accepted a steady job at a local club, Happy Landing, but it was her 1961 recording debut, with her own album in Riverside Records' "New Orleans: The Living Legends" series, that brought her recognition from beyond the Crescent City. Called "the bell gal," because she wore a red skull cap and garters with Christmas bells that jingled in time with her music, Sweet Emma soon made up for time lost. She was pictured on the cover of Glamour magazine and written up on both sides of the Atlantic, and when the Preservation Hall venue's band began to hit the road, she took it on international tours. Sweet Emma toured in the U.S., including a stint at Disneyland.
Despite the exposure and clamor she received at concerts and overseas appearances, Sweet Emma continued to feel most comfortable in her own New Orleans, especially the French Quarter. In 1967, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side, but she continued to work--and occasionally record--until her death, on January 28, 1983.
