Helen Englert Blaum

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Helen Englert Blaum (born March 15, 1922 in New Orleans , Louisiana as Helen Englert , † September 27, 2017 in Thibodaux , Louisiana) was an American swing singer of the 1930s and 1940s. She was known for a time under the names Helen Englert, Helen Southern and Helen Warren .

Live and act

Englert won at the age of 15, winning her first singing competition in New Orleans, resulting in a series of local performances. In 1939 she was elected Miss Junior New Orleans and in 1941 Miss New Orleans. This helped her to various jobs, including singing for the Al Strieman Band. A short time later she discovered Larry Clinton , who hired Blaum on the spot, gave her the stage name Helen Southern and took him on tour for a few months. After a blackout in front of an audience in New York , there was a break with Clinton and she not only changed the band, but also the stage name. Under the pseudonym Helen Warren (and partly with her maiden name Helen Englert) she continued her career with band leaders such as Jan Garber , Ken Harris, Jack Normand , Jan Savitt , Sunny Starns and Woody Wilson . During the war she was mostly on the microphone for US soldiers. Then she returned to New Orleans and worked with the Leon Kelner Band in the Blue Room of the Roosevelt Hotel . She still had smaller jobs in Hollywood , but they weren't enough to keep her and her family afloat. As a result, she changed her profession and took care of children professionally in various areas.

In retrospect, Blaum is characterized as a singer who had "the look, appearance and voice of a future star" from a young age. But she only lived “her big band dream” for a short time , then several factors came together that severely slowed her career in the 1940s. Her personal part in this were the many stage names that caused confusion. External factors were the difficult conditions for big bands during and after the war. After all, it was material hardships and, above all, starting a family that put an end to Blaum's career as a singer in 1947. Blaum's first marriage was to saxophonist Joe DeGiuli. In 1952 she married Harold 'Hal' Sydney Blaum. Four children emerged from both connections. From the time with Clinton, the track "The Nearness of You" (1940) was remembered as one of the top hits from the big band era.

Discography

With the Larry Clinton Orchestra:

  • 1940: Tiny Old Town (Victor BS-047713)
  • 1940: You Oughta Hang Your Heart in Shame (Victor BS-047714)
  • 1940: The Nearness of You (Victor BS-050843)
  • 1940: When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano (Victor BS-050844)
  • 1940: Blue Lovebird (Victor BS-050846)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helen Blaum Obituary - New Orleans, LA. Retrieved March 25, 2020 (English).
  2. ^ "Miss New Orleans" Named. In: The Times . Shreveport, Louisiana August 17, 1941, p. 11 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 25, 2020]).
  3. ↑ Clipped From Fort Worth Star-Telegram . In: Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Fort Worth, Texas May 27, 1940, p. 6 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 25, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Ken Harris And His Tone Style Orchestra Featuring Helen Englert. In: The Shreveport Journal . Shreveport, Louisiana December 18, 1943, pp. 5 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 25, 2020]).
  5. ↑ Miss Helen Englert (...) Featuring Jack Normand and His Dixieland Trio. In: The Town Talk . Alexandria, Louisiana January 19, 1946, p. 8 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 25, 2020]).
  6. ↑ The New Sunny Starns Quartets (...) Featuring Miss Helen Englert. In: The Town Talk . Alexandria, Louisiana February 9, 1946, p. 9 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 25, 2020]).
  7. ↑ a b Doug MacCash, NOLA com | Times-Picayune: Blue Room big band singer Helen Englert Blaum is dead at 95.Retrieved on March 25, 2020 .
  8. ^ Helen Southern (vocalist) - Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 25, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Englert Blaum, Helen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Englert, Helen (maiden name); Southern, Helen; Warren, Helen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American swing singer of the 1930s and 1940s
DATE OF BIRTH March 15, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans , Louisiana
DATE OF DEATH 27th September 2017
Place of death Thibodaux , Louisiana