It’s both easy and convenient to look back at America in the 1950’s and remember a time filled with milkshakes, American bandstand, and poodle skirts. However, in doing so we overlook the hardships and struggles that women, but specifically women of color, endured in their attempt to break through the glass ceiling. As a result, history books have left out Rose Marie McCoy, an African American woman who sang Blues and R&B and wrote for artists who have come to define the late 1900’s as we know them today.
Born into poverty in Arkansas in 1922, Mccoy worked with her siblings on her family’s farm. She lived in a small town where blues music was not readily heard and in fact, many people considered it to be the “devil’s music”. McCoy however, developed a passion for the music genre eighteen miles away from her hometown when she began to stand outside of a popular blues club named “The Hole in the Wall”. She soon had dreams of becoming a successful blues writer and singer herself. As a result, at the age of 18, she moved to New York City armed only with 6 dollars and a powerful dream.
Breaking into this male-dominated industry proved to be a struggle, so she started off ironing shirts during the daytime while performing in clubs during the nighttime. Soon she met and married her husband, James McCoy, who served in the US army. He was soon deployed to Germany and while he was away, she had her first big break in her career while she began traveling the Chitlin’Circuit, a collection of venues that provided an area where African American Musicians could perform and feel culturally accepted. McCoy soon began opening for top performers, such as Pigment Markham and Moms Mabley, among others. She soon found success through her songwriting. Popular harmony group named The Dixiearies along with Muriel Gaines recorded “After all”, the first of her songs to make it to record. Despite this, McCoy decided to focus and center her time on singing and performing. Her stunning voice earned her an audition with a small blues record label, Wheeler Records, but while her voice got her through the door, it was truly her natural songwriting abilities that resonated with Wheeler. Her songs “Georgie Boy Blues” and “Cheatin Blues” in particular caught his attention. In 1953, after over 10 years of hard work living and performing throughout New York City, McCoy’s song “Gabbin Blues” gave singer Big Maybelle her breakout hit and landed in third place on Billboard’s Rhythm and Blues chart. McCoy again proved her songwriting abilities later that year when she wrote Big Maybelle’s second top ten record hit. Rose Marie McCoy had solidified her spot as a top songwriter of the year. At the time, women's songwriters were both underrepresented and uncredited; however, mainstream music was shifting to Rock and Roll, a genre of music that was heavily influenced by the music that African American artists pioneered. Record labels saw the change in what was popular and intended to capitalize on it. As a result, McCoy’s songwriting skills continued to shine, and in 1954 she wrote a song for a black R&B group known as The Eagles called “Trying to get to you”. However, McCoy soon made a name for herself when Elvis Presley released an album containing that same song that topped charts. Soon after, she partnered with established songwriter Charles Singleton, and together they wrote seven top ten hits. By the 1960’s, McCoy was turning down big record songwriting offers from Stax and Atlantic and instead opted to be in control of her own success. She had her own office in the Brill Building, an area well established as the songwriting capital.
Her success allowed her to continue writing and producing records for huge names such as Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. Throughout her career, she wrote over 850 songs and jingles. At the age of 86, after a career filled with successes, Rose Marie McCoy was finally honored and inducted in the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. She continued to write up until her death in 2015. Her legacy continued to live on and in 2018, she was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame. Rose Marie McCoy used her career to pave the way for women of color in the performing industry and left an everlasting effect on the world of blues music as we know it today.
“I’ve got a heart full of hope if I keep on hopin’ strong enough and if I keep on hoppin’ long enough, my hope might make a lot of sense” - Rosie Marie McCoy
Researcher: Isabella Trevino
Writer: Tiare Delgado
Editor: Ava Ochoa
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