Mary Elizabeth Roché (January 9, 1918 – February 16, 1999) was an American blues

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

. Though she had a sporadic career, she became best known for her version of " Take the "A" Train" with its composer Duke Ellington, and, according to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, "was famous for her strong, dramatic way of putting across blues material". Biography by Eugene Chadbourne, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 8 November 2016

Biography

Roché was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, as Mary Elizabeth Roach, and was raised by her grandparents in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater after settling in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1939, and then sang with the

Savoy Sultans The Savoy Sultans was the name of two related 20th-century American jazz ensembles. Savoy Sultans (1937–1946) The original Savoy Sultans were formed by saxophonist Al Cooper, and played at the Savoy Ballroom from 1937 to 1946. This small swing ...

in 1941. The band broke up shortly after she joined it, but she did make her first recording with this group. The following year, she joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in succession to

Ivie Anderson Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (January 16, 1904 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade. Personal life Anderson was born on January 16, 1904, in Gilroy, ...

Making an appearance in the film '' Reveille with Beverly'' (1944), it also featured Frank Sinatra and

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

. She performed a vocal version of "Take the A Train" in the film, but the AFM recording ban meant that she could not make a recording of it at the time. She also sang in Ellington's performance of his "

Black, Brown and Beige ''Black, Brown and Beige'' is an extended jazz work written by Duke Ellington for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, on January 23, 1943. It tells the history of African Americans and was the composer's daring attempt to transform attitudes abo ...

" suite at Carnegie Hall, but again no recordings were made at the time, and by the time Ellington was able to record it in 1944, Roché had left the band. She also sang with

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

and

Hot Lips Page Oran Thaddeus "Hot Lips" Page (January 27, 1908 – November 5, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He was known as a scorching soloist and powerful vocalist. Page was a member of Walter Page's Blue Devils, Artie Sha ...

, and in the 1940s performed at

Minton's Playhouse Minton's Playhouse is a jazz club and bar located on the first floor of the Cecil Hotel at 210 West 118th Street in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It is a registered trademark of Housing and Services, Inc. a New York City nonprofit provider ...

with

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

musicians including

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

. She joined the Earl Hines band in 1944, and recorded with him, before leaving the music business for a few years. In 1951, she rejoined Ellington, and the following year finally recorded an extended version of "Take the A Train" on the LP ''

Ellington Uptown ''Ellington Uptown'' (also released as ''Hi-Fi Ellington Uptown'') is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1951 & 1952.

''. She left Ellington again in 1954. Settling in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, and worked occasionally in clubs and with Charles Brown and Clark Terry. In the mid-1950s, she was part of the cast recording of '' The Complete Porgy and Bess''. She recorded three albums as leader, '' Take the A Train'' for

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

) in 1956, and for Prestige Records in 1960 '' Singin and Swingin'' and '' Lightly and Politely'' the following year, but was unwilling to maintain a full-time career in music. Roché died in

Pleasantville, New Jersey Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 20,629, which was an increase of 380 from the 2010 census count of 20,249, which reflected an increase of 1,237 ...

in February 1999, aged 81.

Discography

*'' Take the "A" Train'' (

, 1956) *'' Singin' & Swingin''' (

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1960) *'' Lightly and Politely'' (Prestige, 1961)

References

External links

Betty Roché page in Fuller Up, The Dead Musicians DirectoryBetty Roché: 1920-1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Betty 1918 births 1999 deaths American blues singers American women jazz singers Duke Ellington Orchestra members Prestige Records artists American jazz singers Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers