Loretta Lee (June 14, 1913 – January 21, 1977) was an American singer in the first half of the 20th century.

Early years

Lee was born Margaret Viegas (or Vieages) in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, the daughter of a juvenile court judge, Joseph Viegas (or Vieages), and his wife. Her ancestry was Spanish on her father's side and Irish on her mother's side. She was educated at a convent in New Orleans, but left that city as a teenager because her parents opposed her romance with a young Frenchman. She sang with the

Boswell Sisters The Boswell Sisters were an American close harmony singing trio of the jazz and swing eras, consisting of three sisters: Martha Boswell (June 9, 1905 – July 2, 1958), Connie Boswell (later spelled "Connee", December 3, 1907 – October 11, ...

at charity functions when she was a youngster and later studied music at the

Peabody Conservatory of Music The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and ...

, winning a Peabody scholarship for four years and a Juilliard scholarship for one year. She was the third Peabody student to graduate as a singer. On June 1, 1927, radio station WBAL in Baltimore, Maryland, broadcast one of her recitals.

Career

A visit to a publishing house during a trip to New York City in 1932, when she was 18, led to a singing engagement for Lee at a New York night club, launching her career.

George Hall George Hall may refer to: People The arts * George Hall (actor) (1916–2002), Canadian-American actor * George Hall (musician) (c. 1893 – c. 1989), American bandleader * George Hall (cartoonist) (born 1960), Australian comic book writer and ...

, leader of the orchestra at the Hotel Taft, heard her singing and invited her to perform with his orchestra, which she did that same evening. A year later, she was also the female singer with Hall and his orchestra on his program on CBS radio. In the fall of 1935, she became a featured vocalist on ''

Your Hit Parade ''Your Hit Parade'' was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year r ...

'', as the program's lineup of performers was revamped. Also in 1935, she was the singer on a comedy program that featured Marty May and Carol Deis, and she had her own program on CBS radio. In 1937, she became the main vocalist on a new radio program featuring

Werner Janssen Werner Janssen (born Werner Alexander Oscar Janssen;short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

''Midnight Melodies''.

Personal life

Lee was married to Irvin L. Dussom.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Loretta 1913 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American women singers Musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American singers American radio personalities