Frances Klein, also known as Frances Siskin (October 19, 1915 – December 22, 2012), was an American jazz musician who began her career in the early 1930s. She played trumpet in a number of jazz bands (most notably the all-female bands led by

Irene Vermillion Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United States ...

and Ina Ray Hutton).Frances Klein Papers, 1929-2002, Duke University Jazz Archive.
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Biography

Klein was a native of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

where she played trumpet in the Glenville High School Band. Around 1935 she was invited to play in Kermit Dart's All-Girl Band, which was led by Irene Vermillion. Klein traveled the country for two years with Vermillion's dance act/revue, "Rhapsody in Red." Upon returning to Cleveland, she was invited to tour with Ina Ray Hutton's

Melodears There were two independently created and independently operating groups known as the Melodears or Melo-Dears in the 1930s and 1940s, one a band, the other a vocal trio, with similar names only by coincidence. There is no known connection between th ...

; after which, she returned again to Cleveland where she performed in a variety of local venues as a part of the Cleveland Women's Orchestra. Around that time, she was also the sole female member of Freddie Shafer's band. Klein led a number of bands. On February 22, 1945, she married David Siskin and legally changed her name to Frances Siskin. In the late seventies, the Siskins moved to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, where Klein continued playing trumpet in groups including the Jacksonville Bulls Pep Band, the Jacksonville Gator Pep Band, and a senior citizen's band known as High Society. She died in 2012 at the age of 97.

List of bands

* Kermit Dart's All-Girl Band with Irene Vermillion *

* Cleveland Women's Orchestra * Frances Klein's All-Girl Orchestra * Frances Klein and Her Formal Swingsters * Frances Klein and Her Moderniers * Frances Klein and Her Rhythm Boys * United States Marine Band * Frances Klein's All-Girl TV Band * Jacksonville Bulls Pep Band * Jacksonville Gator Pep Band

References

External links

Jazz Archive at Duke University

Frances Klein Papers, 1929-2002
Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Frances 1915 births 2012 deaths American jazz trumpeters American bandleaders Melodears members