Dranes, Arizona Juanita
(1905–1957)
Dranes, Arizona Juanita (1905; 1957) Believed to be of partial Mexican ancestry, this member of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) was popular in the 1920s for her intense, high-pitched vocals backed by her solid barrelhouse-style piano. At age twenty-one, the blind singer was discovered by musician and talent scout Richard M. Jones performing in a church in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Reverend Samuel Crouch . Jones invited her to Chicago to record for the Okeh label, and her initial 1926…