Meredith Blake

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Meredith Blake (born June 9, 1917 in Panora , Iowa as Meredith Balcoff, † August 7, 1985 in Marlborough , Connecticut ) was an American jazz singer . During the 1930s and 1940s she sang with the big big bands of Jack Teargarden and Gray Gorden, among others .

Career

Meredith Blake gained her first stage experience as a teenager by successfully competing in debating and speaking competitions. She won in eliminations in her high school ranging from competitions with national significance. Because of her special achievements, she received a scholarship to the Virginia Intermont School for Girls in Bristol , where she was recognized for “popularity, appearance and personality”.

In 1937 Blake received positive reviews for her role in a stage play produced by the University of Wisconsin in Madison called "Babes in Toyland" based on the operetta by Victor Herbert . In the same year she appeared as a singer with the Dick Hendrick Orchestra, in retrospect possibly the starting point of her actual career. In 1938 she sang with the Johnnie Davis Orchestra and with the Billy Baer's Band. In the same year Blake was touring New York with Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra . Also in 1938 she took part in a soundie that introduced the composer Hoagy Carmichael . Accompanied by Teagarden, she sang Carmichael's song That's Right, I'm Wrong , but also Stardust . In 1939 she could be heard with Ruby Newman's and Jack Jenney's orchestras . She switched to Gray Gorden in 1940: Out of 150 applications for the post of band singer, she was accepted. Engagements at Mitchell Ayres and Shep Field followed .

Blake placed a 'hit' in 1940 called I Am an American . She had sung around 40 tracks in total. Contemporary criticism acknowledged that she was able to sing with great nuance "and still make it sound so easy, as if she were just flicking a little ash off her sleeve."

In 1943 she married Alfred Preston Jump (1912-1997), an officer in the United States Army Transport Service . Blake could still be heard professionally as a singer until around 1946, after which her traces are lost. An obituary, published in 1985, does not contain any reference to her career in the 1930s and 1940s.

Discography

With Ruby Newman And His Orchestra:

  • 1939: It Seems Like Old Times (Decca 2593 B)
  • 1939: You Don't Know How Much You Can Suffer (Decca 2594 B)

With Jack Teagarden and His Orchestra:

  • 1939: The Sheik of Araby / Persian Rug (Brunswick 8370)

With Jack Jenney and his Orchestra:

  • 1939: Moon Ray / High Society (Vocalion 5223)
  • 1939: I Walk Alone (Vocalion 5355)
  • 1940: What Can I Say - After I Say I'm Sorry (Vocalion 5494)

With Gray Gordon:

  • 1940: Love to Watch the Moonlight / Blackout - Hold Me Tight (Bluebird B-10718)
  • 1940: I Am an American / Gentlemen of the Jury Bluebird (Bluebird-10783)
  • 1940: Can't Get Indiana Off My Mind / Never Took a Lesson In My Life (Bluebird B-10788)
  • 1940: Ferry-Boat Serenade (Bluebird B-10819-A)
  • 1940: The Yankee Doodle Polka (Bluebird B-10942-A)
  • 1940: You Waited Too Long (Bluebird-11077-A)
  • 1941: Why Do I Love You? (Bluebird B-11138-B)

With Mitchell Ayres and his Fashions-In-Music:

  • 1941: I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire (Bluebird B-11275-A)
  • 1941: Misirlou (Bluebird B-11295-A)
  • 1941: The Nadocky / Ev'ry Time (Bluebird B-11323)
  • 1941: I Wanna Go Back to Texas / Minka (Bluebird B-11336)
  • 1942: Oh, How I Miss You Tonight / Barrelhouse Bessie from Basin Street (Bluebird B-11528)
  • 1942: What Is It Worth It? (Bluebird B-11558-A)
  • 1942: The Wolf Song / Don't Forget to Say "No", Baby (Bluebird B-11563-A)
  • 1942: Rock-A-Bye Bay / Kille Kille (Indian Love Talk) (Bluebird B-11580)
  • 1942: Under a Strawberry Moon / Can't Get Out of This Mood (Bluebird B-11588)

With Shep Fields and His Orchestra:

  • 1944: Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart (Bluebird 30-0833-A)
  • 1945: The Next Time I Care, I'll Be Careful (Victor 20-1751-A)
  • 1945: Coffee Time (Victor 20-1763-A)
  • 1945: Put That Ring on My Finger (Victor 20-1763-B)
  • 1946: Aren't You Glad You're You (Vogue R712)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Obituary for Meredith B. Jump . In: Hartford Courant . Hartford, Connecticut Aug. 9, 1985, pp. 20 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  2. ↑ Reaches Finals. In: Quad-City Times . Davenport, Iowa May 10, 1934, p. 8 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  3. ↑ Miss Balcoff Among Honored. In: The Muscatine Journal . Muscatine, Iowa November 29, 1934, pp. 3 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  4. ^ A b Madison Girl Stars With Noted Orchestra In East. In: Wisconsin State Journal . Madison, Wisconsin February 23, 1939, p. 13 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  5. ^ Club Chanticleer . In: Wisconsin State Journal . Madison, Wisconsin December 13, 1937, pp. 7 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  6. ↑ Comments on Hoagy Carmichael featuring Jack Teagarden and his Orchestra (Jazz in the film)
  7. ↑ Walker, Leo .: The Big Band Almanac . Da Capo Press, 1989, ISBN 0-306-80345-3 , pp. 212 .
  8. ^ VI Graduate Wins Fame As Vocalist. In: The Bristol Herald Courier . Bristol, Tennessee August 25, 1940 p. 6 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  9. ↑ Simon, George T .: The big bands . 2nd Edition. Collier Macmillan, 1971, p. 485 .
  10. ^ "On The Stand. Shep Fields (Reviewed at Strand Theater, New York, May 25)": Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc., June 2, 1945, p. 19 ( google.de [accessed March 30, 2020]).
  11. ↑ Obituary for JUMP., 1912-1997 (Aged 85) . In: Hartford Courant . Hartford, Connecticut May 17, 1997 p. 80 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 30, 2020]).
personal data
SURNAME Blake, Meredith
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Balcoff, Meredith (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz singer
DATE OF BIRTH June 9, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Panora , Iowa
DATE OF DEATH 7th August 1985
Place of death Marlborough , Connecticut