MONETTE MOORE

Monette Moore was always a bit obscure, even when recording prolifically in the 1920s, but she was a surprisingly versatile blues and swing singer with a pleasing delivery of her own. Moore grew up in Kansas City and moved to New York in the early 1920s. During that decade she worked in many cities (including Chicago, Dallas and Oklahoma City) and spent a period singing regularly with Charlie Johnson's Paradise Ten at Small's Paradise. In addition to her own recordings, Moore recorded a few titles with Johnson from 1927-28 (including "You Ain't the One" and "Don't You Leave Me Here").  Although the blues became less popular during the Depression, Moore worked fairly steadily in the 1930s and '40s, including three years as Ethel Waters' understudy. Moore performed primarily in New York, Chicago (including with Zinky Cohn in 1937) and eventually Hollywood. After a return to New York during which time read more...