“Jimbo Jambo”
Margaret Young, vocal
Brunswick 2359-B circa October/November 1922
“Tomorrow”
Margaret Young, vocal
Brunswick 2359-A circa October/November 1922
“The Bad Little Boys Aren’t Goody-Good”
Margaret Young, vocal
Brunswick 2386-B circa December 1922/January 1923
“Counterfeit Bill”
Margaret Young, vocal
Brunswick 2386-A circa December 1922/January 1923
Here are four recordings from the Edward Mitchell collection by Margaret Young, a jazz singer who was popular in vaudeville and on phonograph records during the early 1920s.
If the song “Jimbo Jambo” sounds familiar, it might be because it was featured on the television series Boardwalk Empire, where it was performed by Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks with Rufus Wainwright providing the vocal. You can them perform it on YouTube at this link. (If you enjoy the music of the 1920s and 1930s and find yourself in New York City, you owe it to yourself to see where and when Vince Giordano’s band is performing.)
Margaret Young made her last records in 1925 and subsequently faded away as an entertainer. She came out of retirement in 1949 and made a few records for the Capitol label.
Young’s sister Eleanore was married to the composer Richard A. Whiting. They had two daughters: the well-known 1940s—1950s vocalist Margaret Whiting and actress Barbara Whiting.
There is no mention on the records’ labels or in discographies of whose band accompanied Young on these recordings. But it is very jazzy and sounds great. For pre-microphone recordings, I think the production quality of these is quite nice, and Young’s voice and singing style are well-suited for the technology.
Apparently, no documentation exists for the exact date that these selections were recorded. I obtained the estimated dates from two sources: Brian Rust’s American Dance Band Discography and the Discography of American Historical Recordings, both of which differ by a month in their estimation. In all instances here, the source of the earlier estimated date is Brian Rust and the later date is the DAHR.