Loretta Lee
Loretta Lee | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Viegas or Vieages June 14, 1913 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | January 21, 1977 (aged 63) |
| Alma mater | Peabody Conservatory of Music |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Spouse | Irvin L. Dussom |
Loretta Lee (June 14, 1913[1] – January 21, 1977[2]) was an American singer in the first half of the 20th century.
Early years[edit]
Lee was born Margaret Viegas[3] (or Vieages)[4] in New Orleans, the daughter of a juvenile court judge,[3] Joseph Viegas (or Vieages), and his wife.[4] Her ancestry was Spanish on her father's side and Irish on her mother's side.[5] She was educated at a convent in New Orleans,[6] but left that city as a teenager because her parents opposed her romance with a young Frenchman.[7]
She sang with the Boswell Sisters at charity functions when she was a youngster[8] and later studied music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, winning a Peabody scholarship for four years and a Juilliard scholarship for one year. She was the third Peabody student to graduate as a singer.[9] On June 1, 1927, radio station WBAL in Baltimore, Maryland, broadcast one of her recitals.[9]
Career[edit]
A visit to a publishing house during a trip to New York City in 1932,[9] when she was 18,[10] led to a singing engagement for Lee at a New York night club, launching her career.[9] George Hall, leader of the orchestra at the Hotel Taft,[11] heard her singing and invited her to perform with his orchestra,[9] which she did that same evening.[6] A year later, she was also the female singer with Hall and his orchestra on his program on CBS radio.[12]
In the fall of 1935, she became a featured vocalist on Your Hit Parade, as the program's lineup of performers was revamped.[8] Also in 1935, she was the singer on a comedy program that featured Marty May[13] and Carol Deis,[14] and she had her own program on CBS radio.[15] In 1937, she became the main vocalist on a new radio program featuring Werner Janssen and his orchestra.[16]
She also performed in theaters in vaudeville engagements[17] and appeared in the short film Midnight Melodies.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Lee was married to Irvin L. Dussom.[19]
References[edit]
- ^ "What Do You Want to Know?". Radio Mirror. 6 (6): 56. October 1936. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "The Times Picayune 1977 Obituary Index Orleans Parish Louisiana". usgwarchives.net. The Times Picayune. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Gallery of Beauty". Radio Mirror. 4 (6): 22. October 1935. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b "New Orleans". Radio Daily. July 9, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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- ^ a b
- ^ "(untitled continuation)". Radio Mirror. 6 (6): 79. October 1936. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ a b
- ^ a b c d e
- ^ Brown, Harold P. (March 1933). "Twists and Turns". Radio Digest. XXX (2): 4. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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- ^ Melick, Welcon (1935). "The Critic on the Hearth". Radio Mirror. 4 (6). MacFaddenPublications: 70. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "(photo caption)". Radio Mirror. 3 (5): 11. March 1935. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Loretta Lee Signed". Motion Picture Daily. July 9, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Coming and Going". Radio Daily. February 2, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Midnight Melodies". Motion Picture Herald. April 18, 1936. p. 38. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Margaret Vieages Marriage and Divorce Records". MooseRoots. Graphig. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
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