Died On This Date (June 15, 2011) Mae Wheeler / Popular St. Louis Jazz Singer

Mae Wheeler
May 15, 1934 – June 15, 2011

Mae Wheeler was a popular St. Louis singer who became affectionately known over the years as “Lady Jazz.”  Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Wheeler began singing in church choirs as early as the age of 4, but  soon moved to St. Louis with her family.  As she got older, Wheeler began making a name for herself at the clubs throughout the city’s storied Gaslight Quarter of the 1960s.  Over the course of her decades-long career, Wheeler shared the stage with such luminaries as Count Basie, Mitch Miller, and Pearl Bailey.  She also released two CDs.  During the mid-’90s, Wheeler launched an annual event that would eventually become known as “The Divas Show” and which showcased local young talent while raising money for charity.  Mae Wheeler passed away on June 15, 2011 following a lengthy struggle with leukemia and colon cancer.  She was 77.



Died On This Date (August 17, 1990) Pearl Bailey / Iconic American Vocalist

Pearl Bailey
March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990

The great Pearl Bailey was a singer and actress who went from the vaudeville stage to television and Broadway, eventually winning an Emmy and Tony award.  She began her career as a teenager singing and dancing in clubs in the Philadelphia area.  By the early ’40s she was entertaining troops with the USO.  Upon her return to the states, Bailey settled in New York where she performed with the likes of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway.  In 1952, Bailey married jazz great, Louis Bellson who died in 2009, just five months before the passing of their daughter, singer Dee Dee Bellson .   She made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of Carmen Jones, and later starred in an all-black production of Hello Dolly!, for which she won a Tony.  She recorded popular singles and albums through much of her professional life.  During the ’70, Bailey was a familiar face on television, appearing on countless variety programs as well as hosting her own.  She also voiced animated features including Disney’s The Fox And The Hound in 1981.  Pearl Bailey died of heart disease on August 17, 1990 at the age of 72.

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Pearl Bailey Sings Porgy & Bess and Other Gerswhin Melodies - Pearl Bailey

Died On This Date (July 4, 2009) Dee Dee Bellson / Jazz Vocalist

Dee Dee Bellson
April 20, 1960 – July 4, 2009

With Louis Bellson
With Louis Bellson

Dee Dee Bellson was the adopted daughter of Pearl Bailey and Louis Bellson.  As a child, Bellson traveled with her mother on tour and occasionally appeared on her television show.  She later became a professional jazz singer, touring all over the world, performing with her father’s band, and singing on albums by such jazz artists as Weather Report and Wayne Shorter.  Dee Dee Bellson died as a result of a heart attack at the age of 49.