Eloise Colcolough Uggams (December 20, 1896 – July 14, 1972) was an American soprano singer. She was a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and appeared in Broadway musicals.
Eloise C. Uggams | |
|---|---|
 Eloise C. Uggams, from a 1918 publication | |
| Born | December 20, 1896 Florida or South Carolina, US |
| Died | July 14, 1972 New York, US |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Known for | Member of Fisk Jubilee Singers, Broadway appearances |
| Relatives | Leslie Uggams (niece) |
Early life edit
Uggams was born in Florida or South Carolina (sources vary on the location), the daughter of Coyden Harold Uggams and Mamie Hughes Uggams. Her father was a Presbyterian minister.[1] She attended Fisk University.[2] She gave her senior recital in 1919.[3]
Career edit
Uggams sang and toured with the Fisk Jubilee Quartet with Henrietta Myers in 1918 and 1919.[2][4][5] Broadway appearances by Uggams included roles in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1928 (1928-1929, 1934),[6][7] and Rhapsody in Black (1931),[8] The Pirate (1942-1943), Run, Little Chillun (1943), and Porgy and Bess (1943, 1944, and 1953).[9] She was also in the European touring company of Porgy and Bess, with Leontyne Price, William Warfield, Cab Calloway, and a young Maya Angelou.[10] She made recordings of spirituals with Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers in 1924,[11] and with the Everyman Opera of New York in 1953.[12]
Uggams was also a dressmaker, and worked for Oleg Cassini, including on the wedding gown worn by actress Gene Tierney in 1941.[13] During World War II, she toured in the United States with the USO, and after the war, she toured as a soloist with the Eva Jessye Choir.[14]
Personal life edit
Uggams helped her niece, actress and singer Leslie Uggams,[9] attend Professional Children's School in New York. "We never would have been able to afford the school if it weren't for Aunt Eloise," recalled the younger Uggams.[15] Eloise Uggams died in 1972, aged 75 years, in New York.[16]
References edit
- ^ Loomis, Charlie (1971-08-09). "Noted Singer Visits Jarvis". Tyler Morning Telegraph. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Significance of Jubilee Day". Fisk University News. 9: 11, 25. November 1918 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Miss Uggams' Song Recital". The Fisk University News. 10: 17. May 1920 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Fisk Folk Enliven Armstrong Rally". The Fisk University News. 9: 15. May 1919 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Fisk University Jubilee Singers Continue to Give Satisfaction". The Fisk University News. 9: 46. June 1919 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Blackbirds of 1928 (advertisement)". The New York Age. 1928-05-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dietz, Dan (2018-03-29). The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 116, 302–303. ISBN 978-1-5381-0277-0.
- ^ Werner, Ludlow W. (1931-05-16). "'Rhapsody in Black' Opens on Broadway; Ethel Waters Stars". The New York Age. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Celebrating Black History Month: Leslie Uggams Honors Her Aunt Eloise Uggams, Ethel Waters & More Broadway Role Models". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ Angelou, Maya (2009). Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas. Random House. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-8129-8031-8.
- ^ "Uggams, Eloise". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Eloise Uggams". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Some of the Stars of the Broadway Hit, 'Porgy and Bess'". The Times Dispatch. 1953-08-30. p. 90. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jessye Choir Wins Applause". The Wilkes-Barre Record. 1949-03-22. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Guideposts Classics: Leslie Uggams on Lending a Helping Hand". Guideposts. April 2004. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Eloise Uggams". Daily News. 1972-07-16. p. 118. Retrieved 2021-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
External links edit
- Eloise C. Uggams at the Internet Broadway Database
- "Kurtz Myers, Eloise Uggams, Eva Jessye" (1967), a photograph by Lester Sloan, in the E. Azalia Hackley Collection, Detroit Public Library Digital Collections.
- Eloise Uggams singing "Every Time I Feel the Spirit" (1953), in a recording on YouTube.
