GOD & TEXAS: Sippie Wallace

Sippie Wallace was a Texas girl who became a nationally acclaimed blues singer. In the 1920s and '30s, Sippie was known as the Texas Nightingale, and performed with her husband Matt, and her brothers George and Hersal Thomas. Blues legends like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Perry Bradford recorded songs with Sippie, who was signed by OKeh Records in Chicago. 

The first two recordings that Sippie released on the OKeh label were “Shorty George” and “Up Country Blues.” She quickly became the label’s most popular artist and went on to release 44 songs over a five-year period. The partnership with her husband and brothers proved to be a dynamic ensemble with a bright future.

Sippie was known for her edgy songs that stirred no small controversy. Two of her most innovative recordings, “Mighty Tight Woman,” and “Women Be Wise,” promoted the suggestive ‘hokum’ Blues. The “hokum” craze spotlighted songs that were waggish, fast-paced, and filled with salacious themes and sexual overtones.

Born in Houston to strict Baptist parents in 1898, Beaulah “Sippie” Thomas learned to sing in the church choir. But she and George often sneaked out of the household of 13 siblings and would visit the traveling tent shows beyond the city limits. Among other things, these adult-only shows featured jazz, soul, and rhythm and blues tunes. Both youngsters were captivated by the music, and they joined the tent show circuit when Sippie turned 17.

At first, Sippie performed as an actress, singer, chorus girl, and snake charmer’s assistant. Her route to stardom took her through many small towns and eventually to New Orleans and Chicago. Sippie was at the peak of her success when tragedy struck. In a short period of time her husband, both brothers, and her dear aunt Lillie died in unrelated situations. 

In her deep sorrow, Sippie reached out to Christ for solace and comfort.  Like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, Sippie came to herself, and contacted the leadership of Leland Baptist Church in Detroit. For many years, she sang in their choir and played songs of worship and praise on the organ. 

In her later life, Sippie made a brief comeback at the urging of her two dear friends, Blue’s singers Bonnie Raitt and Victoria Spivey. In 1985, at the age of 87, Sippie recorded her last album which earned her a Grammy Award nomination. She would die on her birthday less than a year later.

The mercy and forgiveness of God is awesome. No matter who we are or what we have been doing, God is always waiting for us to come back home. We can wander many miles from Christ, but the way back just takes one step. That step begins with confession and repentance of our sins. God will do the rest. 

Remember the promise of Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

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