Lee Wiley

Biography

Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma and became one of the great jazz vocalists of all time.[1][2] At fifteen, she left home to pursue a singing career, initially working on Tulsa radio stations before moving to New York City in 1930. Her early influences included blues singers Bessie Smith, Clara Smith, and Ethel Waters, whose recordings she sought out in black neighborhoods.[4] In New York, she impressed bandleader Leo Reisman and joined his orchestra at the Central Park Casino, where her sultry contralto voice and intimate singing style quickly gained popularity on radio programs.[1][3] Her career was temporarily interrupted by a horseback riding accident that caused temporary blindness, but she recovered and continued performing.[1]

Wiley's most significant contribution to jazz came through her pioneering "songbook" albums, beginning in 1939 with a collection of George and Ira Gershwin numbers recorded for Liberty Music Shop Records.[1][5] This innovative approach set a trend and was followed by dedicated albums featuring the music of Cole Porter (1940), Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (1940 and 1954), Harold Arlen (1943), Vincent Youmans, and Irving Berlin (1951).[1] Her interpretations of these standards became definitive versions, characterized by her respect for lyrics, emotional depth, and backing by first-rate musicians including Fats Waller, Bud Freeman, Billy Butterfield, and Eddie Condon.[2][5] In the 1950s, she recorded two standout RCA albums arranged by Ralph Burns: West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of Blues (1957).[2]

Wiley's warm, sensuous, and somewhat smoky voice allowed her to project more emotion into her songs than most contemporaries.[2] She effectively stepped out of the limelight in the 1960s, making a brief appearance at the 1972 New York Jazz Festival before her death from colon cancer in 1975.[2] Though she merited greater fame during her lifetime, Wiley is now recognized as a pioneering jazz vocalist and a white artist embraced by both black and white musicians, comparable to contemporaries like Mildred Bailey and Bing Crosby.[7]

Fun Facts

• At age fifteen, Wiley 'just ran away' from home to pursue her singing career, traveling through the Midwest (St. Louis and Chicago) before landing in New York City.[4]
• Wiley suffered a serious horseback riding accident that temporarily blinded her, an incident that was dramatized in a 1963 NBC-TV teleplay titled 'Something About Lee Wiley' where actress Piper Laurie portrayed her and Joy Bryan provided her singing voice.[1]
• Cole Porter was so impressed with Wiley's interpretation of his songs on her 1940 songbook album that he wrote to her: 'I can't tell you how much I like the way she sings these songs. The combination of voice and musical accompaniment is excellent.'[5]
• Wiley pioneered the concept of 'songbook' albums dedicated to individual composers, a format that became influential in jazz and popular music, with her Gershwin album (1939) rescuing many songs from obscurity.[5]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Victor Young - Composer and musician who worked closely with Wiley in the early 1930s, encouraging her to study singing seriously and cultivating her musical development. Young also had a romantic liaison with Wiley. (Co-composed 'Got the South in My Soul' and 'Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere'; collaborated on multiple recordings) [Early 1930s onwards]
• Leo Reisman - Bandleader who gave Wiley her first major opportunity, hiring her for his orchestra at the Central Park Casino and featuring her on his radio program (Leo Reisman Orchestra recordings including 'Take It from Me', 'Time On My Hands', and 'Got the South in My Soul') [1931 onwards]

Key Collaborators

• Fats Waller - Pianist and organist who backed Wiley on her songbook recordings (George Gershwin songbook album (1939)) [1939]
• Bud Freeman - Tenor saxophonist who collaborated on Wiley's songbook recordings (George Gershwin songbook album (1939) and other standards recordings) [1939 onwards]
• Billy Butterfield - Trumpeter who performed with Wiley on her standards recordings (Various songbook albums and jazz standards) [1940s-1950s]
• Eddie Condon - Guitarist and bandleader who collaborated with Wiley on jazz standards (Various recordings of jazz standards) [1940s-1950s]
• Paul Whiteman - Bandleader with whom Wiley performed and recorded (Radio shows and recordings) [1930s-1940s]
• Casa Loma Orchestra - Orchestra led by Glen Gray with which Wiley recorded ('A Hundred Years from Today' (February 23, 1934)) [1934]
• Johnny Green - Composer and musician with whom Wiley recorded on an ad hoc basis (Various recordings) [1930s-1940s]
• Ralph Burns - Arranger who arranged Wiley's standout RCA albums in the 1950s (West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of Blues (1957)) [1956-1957]
• Jess Stacy - Pianist and bandleader whom Wiley married in June 1943; marriage lasted four years (Personal relationship and musical collaborations) [1943-1947]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. It's Only a Paper Moon (Follow Your Heart)
2. Oh Look At Me Now - Studio (The Total - Vol. 1)
3. It's Only a Paper Moon (A Ghost of a Chance)
4. A Ghost of a Chance - Studio (The Total - Vol. 1)
5. You Turned The Tables On Me (On The Air)
6. Here's Love In Your Eyes (On The Air)
7. Oh Look At Me Now (A Ghost of a Chance)
8. Looking at You (Sings the Songs of George & Ira Gershwin & Cole Porter)
9. Manhattan (Night in Manhattan)
10. You Do Something to Me (A Ghost of a Chance)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #vocal-jazz