‘I’ve got some more living to do’: The legacy of Richmond’s Duchess of the Blues

RICHMOND, Va. — As jazz scales fill Révéler Experiences in Carytown, Lady E, adorned in sparkly jewelry and back-lit by colorful string lights, stands the test of time.

Ethel Barnett-Johnson, more commonly known as Lady E or the "Duchess of the Blues," has played almost every stage on the east coast -- from Richmond’s Hippodrome to Harlem’s Apollo Theater.

The 83-year-old jazz and blues singer is no stranger to spots like the Broadberry and the Altria. In fact, she remembers when it was the Much More Club and the Mosque.

“So many people my age are not out here,” Lady E said. “I’m out here, very visible, and so grateful.”

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

Originally from Pensacola, Florida, Lady E moved to Richmond in 1960, after marrying her husband, Wallace Barnett, Jr. The moment she stepped into the river city, she began shaking up the culture. The stoic southern capitol city didn’t always love her back.

“The people here were afraid to look at or speak to me,” Lady E said. “I know you could tell I wasn’t from here because, needless to say, I brought the mini dress here in 1961 when they were all still wearing maxi’s.”

Perhaps her most unique quality, though, is her deep contralto voice.

“I had a son. He was in the military and he couldn’t sing, he had this bass voice so deep that when he spoke, you could just feel the vibrations from it,” Lady E said. “He survived the Gulf War and he came back and a tick bit him and he died.”

The day she buried her son, Wallace “Bubby” Barnett III, Lady E said she was exhausted and stuck in a house full of people. She retreated to her room to try to get some sleep. When she woke up, she said she had a spiritual experience. Her voice, once light, traveled octaves down to match that of her son.

“His voice entered me. This is where I get the contralto,” Lady E said. “And it goes deep, deep, deeper and deeper.”

Singing, to Lady E, is rehabilitation.

“When I’m singing I’m grieving,” Lady E said. “A lot of people give up and they want to go with them. No, I’ve got some more living to do. That was his time, but it wasn’t my time.”

She’s lived that life, in full, for 83 years, and never missed a beat. But, she wasn’t always the star she is now. There was a time when the stage scared her.

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

(Credit: Lady E)

“At first, I wouldn’t sing in front of anyone. I wouldn’t even open my eyes on stage.” Lady E said. “At one point, I opened my eyes. They’ve been open ever since.”

Lady E’s legacy in Richmond’s music community is about more than her singing chops and rise to local fame.

“Not only am I here singing myself, I’m out here supporting almost everybody who comes through these doors,” Lady E said. “When you are comfortable in what you do, you can do that. The creator didn’t give one person all the talent. Your talent is just as great as mine.”

On a night where music is everywhere, you can find Lady E hopping from venue to venue. Every Sunday, she’s at Révéler Experience’s weekly jazz session, where she closes out a usually packed house. She rouses the crowd with her signature line: “Let me hear you scream!”

“The younger kids, they come up to me and say ‘we’re standing on your shoulder,’” Lady E said. “I say, ‘I hope I’m holding you up very well.’”