Ida Cox

Ida Cox was born Ida Prather in Toccoa, Georgia in 1896. She moved to Chicago with her family around 1910, where she began singing professionally. Her 1923 recording "Any Woman's Blues" became a national hit, establishing her as one of the most popular blues singers of that era.

She recorded extensively throughout the 1920s, with songs like "Bama Bound Blues" and "Broadcasting Blues" among her output. Her material often addressed the experiences of working women and other everyday struggles, delivered with a direct emotional clarity that connected with listeners.

Cox continued performing into the 1940s, though her recording activity slowed after the initial blues boom. She was sometimes called the "Empress of the Blues" by contemporaries and writers, a nickname that stuck in later accounts of early blues history.