JO EVANS / JO JO EVANS

By Marv Goldberg

© 2025 by Marv Goldberg

Jo Evans (also known as "Jo Jo Evans") is a little-known singer who made a few nice records in the 1940s (and one in 1952) before leaving the business. Along the way, she sang with Maxwell Davis' band and Ernie Fields' Orchestra.

Josie May (possibly "Mae") Evans was born on February 10, 1921 in Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Mississippi, about 35 miles south of Jackson, the state capital.

Her mother was Ruby Watts, but Josie never lived with her at the time of any census. Ruby would eventually marry Homer Reese and you'll see her later on as Mrs. Reese.

I'm not really sure about her father. Online trees name him as Harry Lynch, Jr, but there's a problem (isn't there always?). Harry had some half-dozen children by three women (none of whom he seems to have married). However, his other three daughters all had the surname "Lynch". If Josie was really his daughter, why was her name different?

Harry's first two children were Moses Dancler Lynch and Ollie Lynch, both with Mary E. Brown. Then, with Ruby Watts, Harry fathered John Gibson Lynch and (possibly) Josie May Evans (but again, why was her name "Evans" if her brother's name was "Lynch"?). Finally, with Lena M. Thompson, there were Claudia Lynch and Lillie Mae Lynch.

In 1930, Josie (in the census as "Jessie M. Evans") was living with Joe and Florence Thomas in Sunflower County, Mississippi (somewhat between Jackson and Memphis, Tennessee). Florence was the older sister of Josie's mother, Ruby Watts. In the 1940 census, "Josie May Evans" was still living with Joe and Florence Thomas. Joe was a farmer and Josie was a "farm laborer".

I suppose that, by now, you're asking yourselves "why is her name 'Evans'?" I know I am.

The first mention of Josie in the press was in the January 9, 1943 Mississippi Enterprise (Jackson, Mississippi). "Josie Mae Evans, who is attending school at Henderson Business College [in Memphis], recently visited her mother, Mrs. Ruby Reese." So, although Josie never seemed to live with her mother, they were at least close.

Here's a strange one from the January 20, 1945 Mississippi Enterprise:

Mr. and Mrs. Homer Reese and her mother, Mrs. Celia Watts of Hazlehurst, were happy to have as their guests, their son and family, Pvt. and Mrs. John G. Lynch and sons, John, Jr. and Aubrey James, and their daughter, Miss Josie Evans of Boley, Okla. Pvt. Lynch is stationed in Bakersfield, Cal. Mrs. Lynch and the boys are making their home in Detroit.

What's Josie doing in Boley, Oklahoma? It's anyone's guess. It's about 80 miles east of Oklahoma City and 65 miles southwest of Tulsa (and nowhere near Hazlehurst).

Finally, the emergence of "Jo Evans". It's 1946, and Josie has come to California, where she teamed up with saxophonist and bandleader Maxwell Davis. She's first mentioned with him in October, although she'd already made recordings with him earlier that year.

Let's jump ahead for a bit to Ralph C. Weaver's "I Cover The Town" column in the June 12, 1947 California Eagle (Los Angeles). It was in a section titled "One Year Ago - June 13, 1946":

Yours truly signed a four-week engagement at "Patrick's" down San Diego Way along with Tena Toni, Pee Wee Bob, Jo Jo Evans, and Dixie Gibson.

I suppose his long-time readers knew who those people were. At least we know that Jo Evans sang before joining Davis' band. She even did some background singing (uncredited) in a few movies.

Duke Ellington's trombone player, Scat Anderson, heard her sing and introduced her to Ellington, who took her on a three-day engagement in San Francisco. She didn't sing with the band, but just watched them to gain an understanding of how band singing worked.

More to the point, around June 1946, Jo had a recording session, with Maxwell Davis, for Black & White records. The four songs recorded were: "Goody Goody Baby", "Give It Up", "Private Stock", and "Root Of All My Evil". The band consisted of Maxwell Davis (tenor sax), George Orendorff (trumpet), Jewell Grant (alto sax), Francis Midell (baritone sax), Garland Finney (piano), Herman Mitchell (guitar), Chuck Hamilton (bass), and Lee Gibson (drums).

All four tunes were released in July, with "Goody Goody Baby" paired with "Root Of All My Evil" and "Give It Up" paired with "Private Stock".


There was a second Black & White session, probably in late August 1946. This time, Jo and the Maxwell Davis band recorded "Cold Blooded", "Loving Course Blues", "I Want Somebody", and "Drummer Man Blues". Presumably Davis used the same musicians. All four were released in September, with "Cold Blooded" paired with "Drummer Man Blues", and "I Want Somebody" paired with "Loving Course Blues".

The first time Jo Evans was mentioned as appearing with Maxwell Davis was a 10-day show at the Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles. The show began on October 22, 1946 and was last advertised on October 31.

Then, they went into L.A.'s Club Alabam. Davis opened on November 2, although Jo Evans wasn't mentioned until a November 15 ad (which talked about the club's "Grand Reopening", although it doesn't seem to have been closed). For the full run there, she was only mentioned in occasional ads through mid-December, although it's reasonable to suspect that she was with him the whole time. Note that the club was being run by Esvan Mosby, who'd been in the 3 Chocolateers. (Sadly, the club's own ad spelled his name "Evans".)

The November 16 Billboard reviewed "Give It Up" and "Private Stock" (although the main credit was to the conflated name of "Jo Davis"):

A sultry-voiced chirp, Jo Evans, makes the race-flavored lyrics count in this disking. With Maxwell Davis's ork setting a contagious beat, Miss Evans puts bounce into her piping of the riff novelty Give It Up. Slower-paced flip starts off with a monolog intro and goes into a mellow blues vocal. Wordage tells the other gal to stay away because this man is her Private Stock.

Give It Up should give good returns at race spots.

Jo wasn't with Maxwell Davis all that long. The next time we hear of her, she was on her own at a Fun Fiesta & Dance at the CIO Hall in Los Angeles on January 25, 1947 (already being called the "Goody-Goody Baby Girl"). Actually, she wasn't totally on her own; also appearing were Louis Jordan and Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers.

However, whether or not she was still with Maxwell Davis, Black & White continued to reissue their songs. In April, there was "Cold Blooded", this time backed with "Loving Course Blues" and "Goody Goody Baby", now coupled with "Don't Drive This Jive Away" (by Estelle Edson With Oscar Pettiford And All Stars; originally released in January 1946).

Nothing more in 1947, until Black & White re-released "I Want Somebody", this time paired with "Drummer Man Blues", in September.

The January 3, 1948 Chicago Defender had a photo of Jo with this caption:

Jo Evans, Seattle, Washington vocalist, who won fame with her recording "Goody Goody Baby" passed through the city this week.

Seattle?!?! Yep. She worked up and down the West Coast and had stayed for a long while in Seattle.

In March, Black & White issued one final Jo Evans record, but it's confusing. It was a re-release of "Root Of All My Evil". So far, so good. However, the flip, "M. T. Boogie", was also credited to "Jo Evans with Maxwell Davis and his Orchestra", even though it was an instrumental. The sides were reviewed in the March 24 Down Beat. "Root Of All My Evil" received three stars (actually three notes) and "M. T. Boogie" got two.

These are less refined jazz waxings than you usually run across these in-tune days, but they have a certain earthiness and non-artificial kind of presence that makes them good listening - that is, if you dig the blues. Root is a blues shouter by Jo Evans and a good one. Boogie is an instrumental [told you] and features more tenor [sax] than anything else.

1948 had opened with confusion (Jo was from Seattle?) and closed the same way. The December 25 Billboard reported that she'd signed a one-year contract with Apollo Records. However, for whatever reason, she never had any releases on Apollo.

Not a peep out of Jo in all of 1949 and the quiet extended until the summer of 1950. Sometime in late August, she joined the Ernie Fields Orchestra. Ernie, called the "Crown Prince Of Swing And Blues", had a "territory band" which played all over the Midwest and Southeast. Actually, as we'll see, it might be more accurate to say they "schlepped all over the Midwest and Southeast". (By the way, she doesn't seem to show up in the 1950 census.)

Her first recorded appearance with Fields was at the Palace Theater (Memphis) on September 10, 1950. The ad appeared on September 3, so it must have been prepared in late August. The Fields troupe had Frank James, a one-legged dancer; Clarice & Elbert, a dance team; Rose Ford, exotic dancer; Geezil Minerve, flautist and comic; Teddy Cole, vocalist; and Ernest "Butch" Luckett (vocals and guitar). By mid-1951, Teddy Cole would be replaced by Melvin Moore.

The September 23, 1950 Pittsburgh Courier reviewed the show. It's interesting to note that the article's title started with "JoJo Evans Tops".

MEMPHIS, Tenn - Known as the "Crown Prince of Swing and Blues", Ernie Fields had the audience in his hands when he graced the Palace Theatre with that big smile and the band hit the introduction to a fine modern arrangement of "Memphis Blues". The house rocked with a fast moving show from then on.

Teddy Cole, featured vocalist with the band, does a great job. It's the greatest vocal and band combination I've seen since the days of Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, Andy Kirk and the late Pha Terrell. Teddy fits the band and the band fits him. He opened his spot with the popular "Mona Lisa" and came back with an original, "Traveling Blues". It was blues then on until he finally went off stage.

Ernie has refused to go to the combo as many of the bands have done lately. [That is, he's keeping a full-sized band.] "Butch's Blues", an instrumental, drew nice applause. The show stopper was Irene Spoting. [Who is she? Why did she stop the show?] Ernie with Geezell Minerve doing the comedy. [That's not even a sentence.] And what a showman this Minerve lad is, also plays nice sax.

Carl Wright, taps; Clarice and Elbert, dancers; Miss Ford, contortions; and the act that you must watch is Frank James, the one-leg dancer. Seeing only is believing and then you wonder. Jo Evans came on with blues which is always big in Memphis. With a lovely voice and gorgeous gown, she's a natural.

So they headed the article "JoJo Evans Tops" and then went on to say almost nothing about her. Fine piece of writing. While with Fields, she was usually called "Jo Jo".

She wasn't with the band all that long before she took a break. The September 30 Chicago Defender said:

Jo Jo Evans, comely chirper who appeared on bill with Ernie Fields in Memphis last week, stopped off here [New Orleans] en route to Tulsa, Okla, where she'll do a stint in the Flamingo night club.

However, she didn't leave the Crescent City that quickly, the October 7 Chicago Defender had this:

Jo Jo Evans, nationally famous as "That Goody, Goody Gal", returned to New Orleans from a tour of the South and will enter the town's famed French Quarter, located in downtown New Orleans, for a limited engagement. Jo Jo is well known to Chicago's DeLisa patrons and New York's 52nd St., where she appeared earlier this season.

And she'd made such a big hit in Chicago and New York that there was never a word that she'd appeared in either one.

By the time the October 28, 1950 Chicago Defender came out, it had changed to this: "Jo Jo Evans, who has been vacationing with an uncle here [New Orleans], has returned to the road joining Ernie Fields. Singer and the ork are currently touring Oklahoma."

There were some Oklahoma ads for the Fields orchestra, but none of them mentioned Jo until the Cimarron Ballroom (Tulsa) for New Year's Eve.


For the next couple of months, they toured all around Oklahoma, appearing at the Civic Center in Bartlesville (January 13, 1951); the Wagon Wheel in Chickasha (January 25); the Community Center in Wewoka (February 9); the Hilltop Club in Vinita (February 24); and the American Legion Hall in Healdton (March 15).

Leaving Oklahoma (where the wind comes whistling down the plain), they appeared at the Abilene [Texas] Country Club (March 10) and the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri (March 25).

A month later, on April 28, they appeared at the VFW / American Legion Hall in Key West, Florida. The blurb in the April 21, 1951 Miami Times listed some of the troupe as "Teddy Cole, ballads and blues, Butch Luckett, guitar and blues, Jo Jo Evans, and the Goody Goody Girl." Suddenly, Jo has become two people. A couple of days later (April 30), they played Cafe Society in Miami.

From there, it was up to Missouri, where they played the 54 Club in Eldon (June 1, 1951); the City Auditorium in St. Joseph (June 5); the Jubilee Village in Jefferson City (June 9); and the Municipal Auditorium in Moberly (June 27-28). In between, they'd played the Hilltop Terrace, in Vinita, Oklahoma on June 12. After Missouri, they were off to the Blue Moon in Tulsa, Oklahoma (July 3).

Over to Kansas and the Convention Hall in Hutchinson (July 16). Over to the Civic Center Auditorium in Helena, Montana (July 25). Over to the American Legion Hall in Missoula, Montana (July 27). Over to the Armory in Spokane, Washington (July 28). I don't know about you, but I'm getting exhausted. The Helena engagement didn't go as planned, said the July 27, 1951 Independent-Record:

Doris Marsolais Marshall and John R. Quigley, who sponsored the Ernie Fields concert in the Civic Center last Wednesday, announced today that since the concert was a disappointment they would allow any of the patrons free admission to any one of the remaining shows presented by the Frontier Town players every Saturday night at Frontier Town on MacDonald pass.

Fields had contracted to present a 90-minute concert, they explained, and he rang down the curtain and left the auditorium after only 45 minutes of playing. Some of the patrons thought it was an intermission. The Fields group carried out the other part of its contract by appearing for a dance at Frontier Town from 10:30 o'clock that night until 2 o'clock in the morning.

Still trudging along, they chugged into Oregon, where they were at the Cottonwoods in Albany (August 15); McElroy's Ballroom in Portland (August 16); the Rogue Valley Ballroom in Medford (August 21); and the Stayton Foresters Hall in Salem (August 29).

Sneaking across the border into California, they were at Camp Roberts in San Miguel on August 31. Then, it was Riverside Park, down in Phoenix, Arizona on September 14. The August 31, 1951 Arizona Sun said:

Other top performers will include Jo Jo Evans song stylist, who has been tagged the "only female baritone of the present day...."

Since I really am getting exhausted following them around, I'll keep the rest short. They were at the Coliseum (El Paso) on October 6. The September 30 El Paso Times said:

Featured with the orchestra is Jo Jo Evans, the "Goody Goody Girl", a title which resulted from her popular recording of "Goody Goody Baby". A song stylist, she has a deep contralto and has been called the only female baritone.

She has co-starred with Billy Eckstine and worked at such famous spots as Baby Grand, New York; La Renban [sic; should be Le Ruban Bleu], New York, and in leading theaters of the country.

Then, it was the Dixie Club, in San Angelo, Texas (November 27); the Sandia Base Non Commissioned Officers Club, in Albuquerque, New Mexico (December 1); and, finally, the Trianon Ballroom in Oklahoma City (December 23, 1951).

They were back at San Angelo's Dixie Club on January 10, 1952. Then, it was over to Florida, where they appeared at the Manhattan Casino, in St. Petersburg, on February 22. The February 19, 1952 Tampa Bay Times said:

Vocals are capably handled by Melvin Moon [sic; should be Moore], commonly called the "bronze Perry Como". His voice has range to spare. One of the nation's top female chirpers, Jo Jo Evans, "That Goody Goody Gal", is making the swing. Brother, what she doesn't put in a song isn't worth being in it.

Back they went to the Dixie Club in San Angelo, Texas on March 28. This is kind of the last time she was advertised with the band. This is what a territory band was all about: one night here, one night there.

At some point, probably in 1951, Jo, along with the Ernie Fields Ork, had recorded "Frustrated Woman" for Gotham Records. It was released around April 1952, with the Fields instrumental, "My Prince", as the flip.

Remember that I just said the Dixie Club was the last time she was advertised with the band? (No? It was only two paragraphs back; pay attention!) When the Fields band played the Macon (Georgia) Auditorium on May 26, his singer was advertised, in two papers, as "Betty Lockett, great blues singer". Thing is, the blurbs about the upcoming show in those papers gave that name, but printed a photo of Jo Evans with it. Since I can't find anyone named "Betty Lockett" singing with Fields, someone could just have written down the wrong name (possibly they were talking about guitarist Butch Luckett). I dunno. But she's definitely gone after this.

On June 5, 1952, Jo Jo Evans appeared, with Clarence Samuels, at Lamotte's Seafood House in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge News Leader called her "the Queen Of Blues Singers".

There's not a single mention of Jo Evans after this until late 1956, when the November 24 Louisiana Weekly said: "Jo Jo Evans, former torch singer, is in New Orleans visiting friends."

Why "former torch singer"? At some point, according to her grand-nephew, Ronald Lynch, she had to have her tonsils removed. However, they cut too close to her vocal cords and that ended her singing career.

But it didn't end Jo Jo Evans. The July 6, 1957 Louisiana Weekly said: "Frank Rogers of the Gladstone Hotel threw a 'gang-together' [whatever that is] for Miss Jo Jo Evans the other evening."

Her photo appeared in the May 31, 1958 Louisiana Weekly, when she had been at a dinner party, in honor of the blind, at Portia's Fountain And Grill.


On March 15, 1959 she'd be at "An Evening In Paris", a benefit for poor people, at Hayes' Restaurant in New Orleans. She seems to have been modeling in it, not singing. A couple of singers you might know were there: Joe Tex and Billy Tircuit (of the Monitors).

Actually, in all of 1956 through 1959, her only mentions were in New Orleans. I have to believe she was living there during that time. She later said she'd worked there with a small band, at a club called the 3 Deuces, for a couple of years.

A new venture. The June 11, 1960 Jackson (Mississippi) Advocate had a column called "Jo Jo's Jottings". It looks like this was a weekly feature, running through March 18, 1961. Jo Jo was just writing about anything that interested her; nothing to do with music.

On July 13, 1960, Jo Jo and some of her friends went to see a Jackie Wilson concert. While this was considered print-worthy news, the blurb didn't bother to say where the concert was.

By the fall of 1960, she was attending Alcorn College, in Alcorn, Mississippi, around 40 miles west of Hazlehurst. The October 15 Hazlehurst News said: "Miss Jo Jo Evans of Alcorn College was home over the weekend visiting her mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Reese."

The December 24 Jackson Advocate chimed in with the grammatically questionable:

Mr. and Mrs. Reese is [sic] both happy as she [sic] makes her [sic] Christmas plans. Her son, John G. Lynch arrived Sunday night from Detroit, Mich. To spend the holidays with them. Her daughter, Jo Jo Evans, came home from Alcorn College, only to leave for New York City, on Tuesday, where she plans to visit friends for the holidays.

The March 25, 1961 Mississippi Enterprise printed a list of Alcorn College's honor roll. Josie was there with an A- average.

Another blurb of lasting interest. This one was in the February 3, 1962 Pittsburgh Courier: "Jo Jo Evans, the former night club singer on the local circuit, looking forward to getting her B.S. from Alcorn A&M this summer and skying [flying] out for New York, where she intends to become engaged." The full name of the college was Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical, although Jo went there to become a teacher.

The February 10, 1962 Mississippi Enterprise reported that Alcorn seniors were going off to get practice teaching assignments. Jo's was at West Elementary School in Natchez, Mississippi. In June, Josie M. Evans received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education.

And then she relocated. The January 12, 1963 Pittsburgh Courier said:

Jo Jo Evans, the throaty torch singer of the 1950s, who made her mark here in several night clubs, has finished Alcorn A. & M. College and is now teaching public school in Milwaukee, Wis. Jo made up her mind to go back to school several years ago.

I wonder which is scarier, standing in front of a drunken night club audience or a bunch of elementary school kids.

Josie May "Jo Jo" Evans spent the rest of her life in Milwaukee, where she passed away, from cancer, on October 27, 1986. I couldn't find an obituary.

Jo Evans had a very nice voice. Shame some quack doctor ruined it.


Special thanks to Jo's grand-nephew, Ronald Lynch.


BLACK & WHITE (Jo Evans with Maxwell Davis)
785 Goody Goody Baby / Root Of All My Evil - 7/46
786 Give It Up / Private Stock - 7/46
796 Cold Blooded / Drummer Man Blues - ca 9/46
797 I Want Somebody / Loving Course Blues - ca 9/46
118 Cold Blooded / Loving Course Blues - 4/47
840 Goody Goody Baby / [Don't Drive This Jive Away - Estelle Edson With Oscar Pettiford And All Stars] - 4/47
853 I Want Somebody / Drummer Man Blues - 9/47
858 Root Of All My Evil / [M.T. Boogie] - 3/48
         NOTE: "M.T. Boogie" credits Jo, but it's an instrumental

GOTHAM (Ernie Fields Ork, voc Jo Evans)
281 Frustrated Woman / [My Prince - instrumental] - ca. 4/52


The Encyclopedia Of The Blues claims that Miss Jo Evans recorded for Bullet records, as do the liner notes to a Krazy Kat LP. However, as far as I can tell, there was nothing ever released on Bullet. There's just this:

BULLET
288 Low Land Blues / Savoy Boogie - 48
      These songs were by Joe "Boogie" Evans (who's actually Roosevelt Sykes)