Helen Trix (1886 – November 19, 1951) was an American dancer, singer, and song composer. The August 1906 edition of ''Edison Phonograph Monthly'' describes her as having a "clear, well modulated contralto voice".

Early years

Trix and six siblings grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. In 1919, her sister Josephine joined her in performing in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, "a dancer and singer fresh from a convent."

Vaudeville and stage entertainer

The Trix sisters performed songs written by Helen, who also provided accompaniment. By August 1926, Helen had begun performing with another sister, Mattie, in a duo that "scored immensely in the London Music Halls for several seasons". After Helen Trix left the original act. Helen Lewis, from Liverpool, England, replaced her, performing with Josephine as the Trix Sisters. In April 1935, Lewis left the act and Josephine sought another "Helen Trix". During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Trix took part in a gala performance which combined

performers with members of Company A of the Seventy-First Regiment, U.S. Army.

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

and twelve Ziegfeld Follies dancers also appeared in the entertainment event staged at the Liberty Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She was a regular performer on the Keith-Albee-Orpheum vaudeville circuit for many years. Her first

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n tour was in 1913. Her sisters, Josephine and Mattie, sometimes accompanied her on stage. She was sometimes called the "Piano songwhistleress". She made her debut in England in 1909. Trix performed in the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

revue, ''The League of Nations'', in 1920. She appeared in the English capitol, in ''Tricks'', in 1925-1926. She remained abroad for more than four years. Trix also did shows in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and the primary cities in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. In 1926 she was featured in the ''International Revue'' produced by George Jessel.

Songs and radio

Trix composed such songs as "Follow Me", "You'd Love To Live In Paris", "London Town", and "Beautiful Shangri-La". She performed songs on WGBS, on a regular radio program. The show aired from 8:00-8:15 P.M. in 1930. The

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

was listed as ''Helen Trix diseuse''.

Personal life and death

Trix live at the Stratford Hotel, 11 East Thirty-Second Street. On November 18, 1951, she died at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in New York City, aged 54.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trix, Helen 1886 births 1951 deaths 20th-century American composers American female dancers American radio actresses American stage actresses American vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women composers