Eugene Delbert Greene (June 9, 1877 – April 5, 1930) was an American vaudeville and ragtime singer. He was one of the first to use

scat singing In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

techniques.

Career

Greene was born in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He worked with his wife, Blanche Werner, as Greene & Werner. Between 1911 and 1917, he made five recordings of "King of the Bungaloos", which was his most popular song. Nicknamed "The Ragtime King", he employed

techniques on this song. His other songs included "The Chinese Blues" and "Alexander's Got a Jazz Band Now". While on a tour of Europe in 1912, Blanche Werner died. Greene continued to perform, making about 64 recordings during 1912–13 before returning to the U.S. He retired to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and ran a restaurant. He tried to sing again in New York City but died of a heart attack backstage. "King of the Bungaloos" appeared on ''Pop Music: The Early Years 1890–1950'' as part of Sony's ''Soundtrack for a Century'' box set.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Gene 1877 births 1930 deaths American male composers 20th-century American composers Ragtime composers Vaudeville performers People from Aurora, Illinois Scat singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male jazz musicians

Career

See also

References