Ukrainian born Sophie Tucker (1887-1966, real name Sonya Kalish) was perhaps the greatest female star in vaudeville and she remained a household word for more than 50 years due to her remarkable ability to continually re-invent herself and make herself relevant and hip to several generations of audiences. At the beginning of her career she…Continue Reading Sophie Tucker: Last of the Red Hot Mamas by David Soren
Topic: Female Singers
The Boswell Sisters: Syncopation Harmony Queens by David Soren
Martha Meldania Boswell (1905 – 1958), Constance (Connee) Foore Boswell (1907 – 1976) and Helvetia George Boswell (1911 – 1988) were musicians and music-loving amateurs who performed as a sister act for friends in New Orleans. The family was from Kansas City but moved early on to Louisiana. After winning an amateur contest they were…Continue Reading The Boswell Sisters: Syncopation Harmony Queens by David Soren
Jill Corey: The Overnight Sensation by Albert Kopec, David Soren
Jill Corey began her life as Norma Jean Esperanza, youngest of five children in the tiny coal-mining town of Avonmore, Pennsylvania, the youngest of five children. She was always singing and became something of a local celebrity in her teens, but only earning five dollars a night performing in regional shows, at the Lion’s Club…Continue Reading Jill Corey: The Overnight Sensation by Albert Kopec, David Soren
Marion Harris: Hot Jazz and Black Themes for White Audiences by David Soren
Marion Harris (April 4, 1896? – April 23, 1944) became famous as a white vaudeville singer and recording artist who was influenced by contemporary black jazz and often did numbers in a certain “Negro Style” as it was termed which helped to usher in the Jazz Age across America. For several decades beginning around 1915…Continue Reading Marion Harris: Hot Jazz and Black Themes for White Audiences by David Soren
Elsie Janis: Vaudeville’s Heroine of World War I by David Soren
Elsie Janis (Born Delaware, Ohio 1-16-1889 – Died Beverly Hills, California 2-26-1956) was an American vaudevillian, Broadway superstar and World War I heroine who was once one of the most famous women in show business. While a little child she showed a gift for mimicry which was encouraged by her divorced mother Jennie, who was…Continue Reading Elsie Janis: Vaudeville’s Heroine of World War I by David Soren
Emma Carus: Vaudeville’s First Lady of the Land by David Soren
Emma Carus (March 18, 1879 Berlin, Germany – November 18, 1927, Venice, California) was the daughter of an opera singer and a classical music concert manager, although very little is certain about her early life. As a child in Berlin, she had voice training and remained with her family for some years, no doubt learning…Continue Reading Emma Carus: Vaudeville’s First Lady of the Land by David Soren
Evelyn Dall: The Bronx Bombshell by David Soren
Unknown in America, always and to this very day, Evelyn Dall (January 8, 1918 Bronx, New York – March 10, 2010 Phoenix, Arizona) became a mega-star in England during World War II. Born in the Bronx as Evelyn Mildred Fuss and the daughter of a poorly paid postal clerk, she left school at age 15…Continue Reading Evelyn Dall: The Bronx Bombshell by David Soren
Gaby Deslys: A Famous French Import by Emily Caskey with David Soren
What Ziegfeld did for Anna Held, the Shubert Brothers did five years later for Gaby Deslys. They made her famous in America before she first arrived from Paris and set foot on an American stage. Gaby Deslys was a willing partner in her exploitation. Gaby was pretty, blonde and buxom with a cinched waist, and…Continue Reading Gaby Deslys: A Famous French Import by Emily Caskey with David Soren
Annette Hanshaw: The Personality Girl by David Soren
Annette Hanshaw (Manhattan, October 18, 1901 – Manhattan, March 13, 1985) was born Catherine Annette Hanshaw. A number of her family members were in vaudeville and she was brought up to love the entertainment business although she studied art and design and wanted to be an artist and portrait painter. She was an exceptionally beautiful…Continue Reading Annette Hanshaw: The Personality Girl by David Soren
Blanche Ring: Singing Comedienne of Early Broadway by David Soren
Blanche Ring (Boston, April 24, 1871 – Hollywood, January 13, 1961) was an early star of vaudeville and one of the most important early stars of Broadway musicals. When her superstar career dimmed in the 1920s she took on character roles in Hollywood movies. Blanche Ring ca. 1915 She came from a long line of…Continue Reading Blanche Ring: Singing Comedienne of Early Broadway by David Soren