American singer Marion Harris (c. 1915-1920)
American singer Marion Harris, photographed ab. 1915 - 1920. My colorization of the original image in the Library of Congress archive (Bains News Service collection).
"Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison, April 4, 1896 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs." --
"In early 1931 she performed in London, returning for long engagements at the Café de Paris. In London she appeared in the musical Ever Green and broadcast on BBC radio. She also recorded in England in the early 1930s but retired soon afterwards. In 1936, she married Leonard Urry, an English theatrical agent. Their house was destroyed in a German rocket attack in 1941, and in 1944 she travelled to New York to seek treatment for a neurological disorder. She was discharged two months later.She died on April 23, 1944 in a hotel fire that started when she fell asleep while smoking in bed."(Wikipedia)
Listen to Marion Harris performing "Beale Street Blues":
American singer Marion Harris (c. 1915-1920)
American singer Marion Harris, photographed ab. 1915 - 1920. My colorization of the original image in the Library of Congress archive (Bains News Service collection).
"Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison, April 4, 1896 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the 1920s. She was the first widely known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs." --
"In early 1931 she performed in London, returning for long engagements at the Café de Paris. In London she appeared in the musical Ever Green and broadcast on BBC radio. She also recorded in England in the early 1930s but retired soon afterwards. In 1936, she married Leonard Urry, an English theatrical agent. Their house was destroyed in a German rocket attack in 1941, and in 1944 she travelled to New York to seek treatment for a neurological disorder. She was discharged two months later.She died on April 23, 1944 in a hotel fire that started when she fell asleep while smoking in bed."(Wikipedia)
Listen to Marion Harris performing "Beale Street Blues":