Vaughn De Leath

Vaughn De Leath
Vaughn De Leath in the 1920s
Background information
Birth nameLeonore Vonderlieth
Born(1894-09-26)September 26, 1894
Mount Pulaski, Illinois, United States
DiedMay 28, 1943(1943-05-28) (aged 48)
Buffalo, New York, United States
GenresJazz, crooner, Dixieland, balladeer, musical comedy
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, radio performer, broadcasting executive
Years active1920s-1930s
LabelsVarious
Edison Diamond Disc record: "Are you lonesome to-night?", composed by Roy Turk and Lou Handman, performed by Vaughn De Leath (vocal) and Bill Regis (piano), recorded in New York, New York on June 13, 1927. Release number 52044, matrix number 11734-B-2-1. From the sound archive at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, West Orange, New Jersey, USA.
Edison disc record: "Are you lonesome to-night?", performed by Vaughn De Leath, recorded in New York, New York on June 13, 1927.

Vaughn De Leath (September 26, 1894 – May 28, 1943)[1] was an American female singer who gained popularity in the 1920s, earning the sobriquets "The Original Radio Girl" and the "First Lady of Radio."[2] Although very popular in the 1920s, De Leath is obscure in modern times.

De Leath was an early exponent, and often credited as inventor, of a style of vocalizing known as crooning. One of her hit songs, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," recorded in 1927, achieved fame when it became a hit for Elvis Presley in 1960.

  1. ^ "Biography by Uncle Dave Lewis". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  2. ^ "Original Radio Girl Won Fame With Crooning Voice". Miami Daily News-Record. 13 May 1930. p. 10. Retrieved 3 September 2014 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon