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Category: 1940s
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Carmen Miranda
About Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, known professionally as Carmen Miranda, was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed “The Brazilian Bombshell”, she was known for her signature fruit hat outfit that she wore in her American films. Albums/Songs: Original Recordings 1930 – 1950 Cocktail Hour Raízes do Samba O melhor de Carmen…
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Erskine Hawkins
About Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed “The 20th Century Gabriel”. He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard “Tuxedo Junction” (1939) with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson. The song became a hit during World War II, rising to No. 7 nationally and to No. 1 nationally.…
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Judy Garland
About Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She attained international stardom and critical acclaim: as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles; as a recording artist; and on the concert stage. Renowned for her versatility, she received a Golden Globe Award, a Special Tony Award and was one of twelve in…
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The Andrews Sisters
About The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie Andrews (1918–2013). The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records. Their 1941 hit “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”…
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe
About Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star of gospel music, and was among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm…
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Lena Horne
About Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist. Horne’s career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving on to Hollywood and Broadway. Albums/Songs: Lena,…
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Gene Autry
About Orvon Grover “Gene” Autry, nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades, beginning in the early 1930s. During that time, he personified the…
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Charlie Parker
About Charles Parker Jr., nicknamed “Bird” or “Yardbird”, was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas…
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Woody Herman
About Woodrow Charles Herman was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called “The Herd”, Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his death in 1987. His bands often played music that was cutting edge and experimental; their recordings received numerous Grammy nominations. Albums/Songs: How…
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Sarah Vaughan
About Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed “Sassy” and “The Divine One”, she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had “one…