Kansas City's raunchy blues queen

David White, KCUR 89.3

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Images courtesy of LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC Libraries

For three decades, Julia Lee reigned over Kansas City jazz clubs singing risqué songs “her mother taught her not to sing.” But beyond the lyrical wordplay of hits like "Snatch and Grab It," Lee was a trailblazer for Black female musicians, and forged a career on her own terms.