Luigi's 50's & 60's Vinyl Corner: Mavis Rivers

Mavis Chloe Rivers (19 May 1929 – 29 May 1992) was a Samoan and New Zealand jazz singer. She was born in Apia, Samoa in 1929, as one of thirteen children to a musical family.

In 1955 she moved to the United States. She married Glicerio Reyes "David" Catingub, a Filipino singer and bass player.

Jazz vocalist Mavis Rivers recorded for Reprise, Capitol, and Vee-Jay in the early '60s before making a surprising comeback in the early '80s. After the Pearl Harbor bombing. She joined her father's band as a vocalist and entertained troops stationed in Pago Pago. Then, once WWII ended, her family relocated again, moving to New Zealand, where she continued singing. She experienced some success as a vocalist in New Zealand and soon decided to move to the States. After a brief stay in Salt Lake City, UT, she ended up in Los Angeles, CA, where she worked as a secretary during the days and a nightclub singer during the nights, playing with a Hawaiian band that featured her future husband, bassist David Catingub.

By the end of the '50s, she'd scored a recording contract with Capitol Records and debuted with the Take a Number LP (1959), which was arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. More records followed: Hooray for Love (1960, Capitol), arranged and conducted by Jack Marshall; The Simple Life (1960, Capitol)

Mavis Rivers has been described by many of her peers as one of the world’s greatest female jazz singers, and she attracted an international following among jazz purists. Frank Sinatra is said to have described her as the ‘purest voice’ in jazz, comparing her to Ella Fitzgerald.

1. Walkin' By The River

2. Give Me The Simple Life

3. Early Autumn

4. In The Cool Cool Of The Evening

5. Far Away Places

1. Home

2. At Sundown

3. Spring is Here

4. Get Out And Get Under The Moon

5. Try A Little Tenderness

6. It's A Great Feeling