Teddy Grace

Teddy Grace (born Stella Gloria Crowson,[1] June 26, 1905 – January 4, 1992)[2] was an American female jazz singer.

Teddy Grace
Born
Stella Gloria Crowson

June 26, 1905
Arcadia, Louisiana
DiedJanuary 4, 1992 (age 86)
La Mirada, California
NationalityAmerican
Other namesStella Maple
OccupationSinger

Big bands

Grace first sang professionally in 1931. She sang on radio in the American South and worked with the bands of Bob Crosby, Paul Whiteman,[3] Al Katz (1933), Tommy Christian (1934), and Mal Hallett (1934–37).[4]

Recording

From 1937 to 1940, Grace recorded for Decca Records, and her sidemen on these recordings included Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Pee Wee Russell, Bob Crosby and His Orchestra, and Bud Freeman.

Military service

She left the music industry in 1940 and joined the Women's Army Corps a short time later, where she sang at war bond rallies and other political events. She lost her voice as a result of these activities. She was unable to speak for years and was never again able to sing.

Twenty two of the 30 sides she recorded for Decca were reissued on CD by Timeless Records in 1996. Another 26 of her sides with Mal Hallett and Bob Crosby were released by Hep Records in 1997.[5]

Material loss

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Teddy Grace among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[6]

Footnotes
  1. 'Teddy Grace Once lost, now found' by Derek Jenkins, 2007 elviscostello.info
  2. Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed July 2010
  3. "WAAC Who Worked With Big-Name Bands to Be Here". The Paris News. Texas, Paris. June 25, 1943. p. 2. Retrieved March 11, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "On Nearby Curtains". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. September 23, 1934. p. 32. Retrieved February 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Teddy Grace with Mal Hallett And His Orchestra and Bob Crosby And His Orchestra – Turn On That Red Hot Heat
  6. Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.

References
  • Derek Jenkins, (2007) "Teddy Grace Once lost, now found." The Oxford American Issue 58 Ninth Annual Southern Music Issue
  • Scott Yanow, Teddy Grace at Allmusic
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