Billie Maxwell was the first woman recorded in country music, and the first recorded musician from Arizona.
Background
She was born in 1906 to Curtis Maxwell, a locally known fiddler. She grew up in Nutrioso, near Springerville, Arizona. Her father started a folk group called The White Mountain Orchestra while Billie was a child, and they would perform around the area, often playing at dances.
Career
She played guitar with The White Mountain Orchestra, and recorded three vocal discs with Victor Records. The family worked primarily as ranchers. She joined the band as a guitarist in her teens.
She continued playing with the band.
Around that time, Ralph Peer was having auditions held around the southwestern United States. to find new artists for Victor Records. The White Mountain Orchestra was selected from a local audition in June 1929 to travel to El Paso, Texas, to record for him.
The band went to El Paso on 2 July 1929 and recorded four songs, including Escudilla Waltz. While Peer was listening to the session, he asked Billie to sing.
She recorded five songs singing solo, with guitar and violin.
The first song was recorded on July 2, the remainder on July 11. The discs were published with Maxwell identified as Billie Maxwell, the Cow Girl Singer. Her songs spoke honestly of the struggles of poorer women.
She had two children, and died at age 48 from cancer.