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Maxine, born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, was one of the great American jazz vocalists. Her early talent earned her radio gigs in Pittsburgh and performances with a local group led by her Uncle Harry, the Red Hot Peppers. After meeting the owner, she was hired as the featured singer at a speakeasy known as the Benjamin Harrison Literary Club for $14 a week. Pianist Gladys Mosier, who played with the all-girl band of movie star Betty's sister Ina Ray Hutton, heard Maxine and arranged a recording session at the Onyx Club on 52nd Street with bandleader Claude Thornhill. Thornhill encouraged her to change her name, as there were many musicians named Williams at the time. By 1937, Maxine had developed a distinctive, intimate swinging style, marked by perfect diction and intonation, showcased in several famous recordings with Thornhill's orchestra, including "Gone With the Wind" and the popular up-tempo folk songs "Loch Lomond" and "Annie Laurie."
By the late 1930s, the "Pint-Sized Songstress" had reached the height of her fame. She appeared on the cover of Life magazine and regularly traveled between the West Coast and New York for recording sessions. Her 1938 performance of "Summertime" at a memorial concert for George Gershwin was a standout moment. In the 1939 Paramount musical St. Louis Blues, Maxine sang the title track. Between 1940 and 1941, she recorded several hits with bassist John Kirby, her then-husband, and his renowned "biggest little band in the land." She also joined Kirby for two seasons on CBS's "Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm," setting a milestone as one of the first African-American women to be featured on radio for an extended period. In the summer of 1941, she toured with Benny Carter's orchestra before stepping away from show business for several years. Returning to New York in the mid-1940s, Maxine resumed a successful solo career, holding long engagements at notable venues like Le Ruban Bleu, the Village Vanguard, and the Penthouse. Alongside singing, she expanded her musical skills to include valve trombone, pocket trumpet, and flügelhorn. After European tours in 1948 and 1954, she retired again to focus on nursing, physical therapy, and health counseling at schools in the Bronx.
Maxine’s final comeback began in 1958. Over the next two decades, she collaborated with her second husband, Cliff Jackson, a former Chick Webb alumnus, and the talented clarinetist Bob Wilber. She also performed with the World's Greatest Jazz Band at New York's Half Note and various international jazz festivals. In the 1980s, she earned three Grammy Award nominations, adding to her earlier Tony nomination for her 1979 role in the Broadway musical "My Old Friends.
