Thelma Carpenter

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Thelma Carpenter (born January 15, 1922 in Brooklyn , New York City , † May 14, 1997 in Manhattan , New York City) was an American jazz singer and actress .

Life

Thelma Carpenter appeared on the show Kiddie's Hour when she was five , had her own radio show at WNYC in New York when she was eleven, and then won an amateur competition at the Harlem Apollo Theater . After discovering John Hammond , she made her debut at the age of sixteen in 1939 as a band vocalist in Teddy Wilson's short-lived orchestra, with which she recorded the songs Love Grows on the White Oak Tree and This Is the Moment for Brunswick . In 1939/40 she was a member of the Coleman Hawkins Orchestra, with which she recorded the Standard She's Funny That Way on Bluebird Records in October 1939 .

In 1943 she was for Helen Hume's band singer in the Count Basie Orchestra and stayed in the band for two years; However, the recording ban did not result in any recordings at Basie ; But she became known nationwide through her tours and nightly radio broadcasts. With Basie, only a 78 was created in 1944, I Didn't Know About You .

She then replaced Dinah Shore as a vocalist on Eddie Cantor's radio show (1945/46), where she was the first African-American artist in an otherwise white-cast show. During this time she recorded popular songs such as “Can't Help Lovin 'That Man” (for Majestic), “Seems Like Old Times”, “ These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) ” and the patriotic hits Hurry Home and My Guy's Come back on. The songs Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho and American Lullaby were accompanied by a trio called Amory Brothers , who soon became known as the Ames Brothers .

In the following years she mainly appeared in New York nightclubs, u. a. at Le Ruban Bleu, Spivy's Roof, Bon Soir and Michael's Pub , as well as at Bricktop’s in Rome . She has also appeared in various Broadway theater performances, such as the Capitol, Loew's State and the Palace on Broadway ; she also performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall . Four songs were written for Columbia such as Pie in the Basket with the Luther Henderson Orchestra, but they were not broadcast on the radio because of the suggestive lyrics.

During her career as a singer, Carpenter recorded for Majestic , RCA Victor , Columbia and Coral Records , among others. a. with musicians like Don Abney and Herman Chittison ; their Elvis Presley- coined song Yes I'm Lonesome Tonight reached the Billboard Top 60 in 1961 .

As early as 1952 Carpenter had a role as an actress in the revue "Shuffle Along" on Broadway; she then replaced Pearl Bailey in the title role in Hello, Dolly! . In the late 1970s she was hired by Sidney Lumet for the role of Miss One in the film The Wiz , where she acted alongside Diana Ross and Michael Jackson . In 1982 she played the mother of Gregory and Maurice Hines in the Francis Ford Coppola strip The Cotton Club ; In 1989 she worked again for Coppola in the episode film New York Stories .

Thelma Carpenter had a few appearances in television series, such as the sitcom Cosby , until her death .

The singer is not to be confused with the English Billiards player of the 1940s.

Discographic notes

  • Herman Chittison Trio with Thelma Carpenter ( Discovery Records , ed. 1988)
  • A Souvenir (Audiophile, ed. 1997)
  • Seems Like Old Times (Sepia, ed. 2006)

Filmography (selection)

Movies

TV Shows

  • 1981: Love Boat ( The Love Boat , episode Quiet, My Wife's Listening / Eye of the Beholder / The Nudist from Sunshine Gardens )
  • 1996: Cosby (episode: No Nudes Is Good Nudes )

Web links

literature

personal data
SURNAME Carpenter, Thelma
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz singer and actress
DATE OF BIRTH January 15, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City
DATE OF DEATH May 14, 1997
Place of death Manhattan , New York City