Ada Leonard

b. 22 July 1915, Lawton, Oklahoma, USA, d. 29 November 1997, Santa Monica, California, USA. Leonard’s dad was an acting professional and her mom a multi-instrumentalist and dancer and she herself 1st proceeded to go onto the stage at age three. She discovered to try out the piano as well as the cello but neither device sufficiently to work appropriately. When she was raised, she became a stripper in Chicago. The truth is, like the popular Gypsy Rose Lee, Leonard under no circumstances actually disrobed. Only a head wear, a glove, a discreet headscarf; yet, in some way, she left viewers thinking that they had noticed more than that they had. Leonard’s ambitions, nevertheless, lay in additional directions; she wished to business lead an all-male music group. In 1939, while showing up in a present using the all-female group led by Rita Rio, Leonard chose that she could perform anything that the leader do, but better, and on her behalf go back to Chicago in the fall of 1940 she produced her motives known. Fortuitously, an all-female music group is at rehearsal and required a front girl. The music artists, serious artists, had been appalled at the thought of being fronted with a burlesque queen but three of these, led by trumpeter Jane Sager, visited see Leonard’s respond and understood that she acquired what they required most within a head ? course. Coached by Sager, Leonard became a fast research and, conquering the prejudices of all of those other music group, Ada Leonard’s All-American Young ladies opened up to rave testimonials and packed homes. Perhaps audiences had been attracted initially for all your wrong reasons, and perhaps early reviewers had been misled by fervid imaginations, but soon the music group was being successful on merit. These females showed that these were not really only seriously interested in their music, these were also extremely proficient at it. In November 1941 the music group began touring armed service bases for the USO so when, a couple weeks later, the united states entered World Battle II, the music group’s stock increased even more quickly. Steadily switching their repertoire through the rather sedate strategy that they had originally followed into that of an excellent golf swing music group, they performed a potent mixture of well-known songs of your day and golf swing period favourites. Among the arrangers they utilized was Gene Gifford. In addition to the extremely talented Sager, various other music artists who used the music group included tenor saxophonist Ethel Kirkpatrick, drummer Fagle Liebman, alto saxophonist Roz Cron, and trumpeters Norma Carson and Fran Shirley. Leonard, who was simply an astute and driven businesswoman, became extremely loyal towards the music artists who helped her obtain her remarkable position in 40s and early 50s showbusiness, vigorously dealing with significantly less than scrupulous administration and promoters when the necessity arose. She continuing to business lead the music group in to the middle of the 50s, although at that time it had been a smaller device and its own repertoire acquired reverted towards the sedate. From 1952-54, she hosted her very own tv program, which highlighted the music group, and retired. This pension lasted just a few a few months before she was back again, at last attaining her long-held ambition and leading an all-male music group. Leonard’s success tale is even more remarkable considering that she had not been a musician herself and far credit can be owed towards the music artists in the music group. Nevertheless, there may be small doubt that got she under no circumstances become their innovator, the music group would extremely probably possess sunk without track. The shared respect that they had was indicated by Leonard within an interview with jazz article writer/historian Sherrie Tucker, in Golf swing Change: ‘All-Girl’ Rings FROM THE 1940s. Recalling the way the now-grey-haired women through the music group threw her a shock party in 1992, Leonard stated, ‘They’re the closest factor to children which i ever endured.’ In a little but important, but still overlooked part of popular music, the all-female rings from the 40s, Ada Leonard’s All-American Women hold a substantial place.