Description

'I was born in 1921. Photo looks to be from when I was about 19 or 20 years old. [My stage name] 'Jerri Wells' was shorter, sorta catchy and sounded more professional. I sang on the cruise ship S.S. France's Le Parc Francais to Europe. I sang in Paris. I was considered a jazz singer. I sang in French, Yiddish, (I worked the borscht circuit in American for years--they used a singer and a comic) and Italian. I loved the mountains--the Adirondacks, people were friendly and appreciative,--the Catskills. I didn't commute. I got another hotel. I appeared in the Arthur Godfrey show. He announced on TV that I was 'the prettiest colored girl he'd ever seen!' That's when Lena Horne was popular. Lena was gorgeous. Elsie Grainger was my agent. I don't have a nice thing to say about her. She paid the musicians for the recording--sold them abroad--but didn't pay me. I didn't make a dime. I loved singing. I liked my French songs. I spoke French at that time fluently. Studied French in college as a minor. Edith Piaf was singing when I was singing. I did some of her numbers. My dressmaker, Miss Cephas, made me gowns and cocktail dresses every week--I very seldom wore the same thing twice. They gave me an extra room just for my gowns. Location: 1027 East 228th Street.'

Record Contributed By

University of Massachusetts Boston, Joseph P. Healey Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Commonwealth