Ina Ray Hutton

Odessa Cowan, known professionally as Ina Ray Hutton (March 13, 1916 – February 19, 1984), was an American singer, bandleader, and the half-sister of June Hutton.[1] She led one of the first all-female big bands.

Ina Ray Hutton
Background information
Birth nameOdessa Cowen
Born(1916-03-13)March 13, 1916
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 19, 1984(1984-02-19) (aged 67)
Ventura, California
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1920s–1950s
Associated actsThe Melodears

Biography
Ina Ray Hutton ad for a concert at the Army Air Base, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 22, 1942

A native of Chicago, Hutton began dancing and singing on stage at the age of eight.[2][3] Her mother was a pianist in Chicago.[3] At age 15, she starred in the Gus Edwards revue Future Stars Troupe at the Palace Theater[3] and Lew Leslie's Clowns in Clover. On Broadway she performed in George White's revues Melody, Never Had an Education and Scandals, then with the Ziegfeld Follies.

In 1934, she was approached by Irving Mills and vaudeville agent Alex Hyde to lead an all-girl orchestra, the Melodears,[4] As part of the group's formation, Mills asked her to change her name.[3] The group included trumpeter Frances Klein, Canadian pianist Ruth Lowe Sandler, saxophonist Jane Cullum, guitarist Marian Gange, trumpeter Mardell "Owen" Winstead, and trombonist Alyse Wells.

The Melodears appeared in short films and in the movie Big Broadcast of 1936.[2] They recorded six songs, sung by Hutton, before disbanding in 1939.[2] Soon after, she started the Ina Ray Hutton Orchestra (with men only) that included George Paxton and Hal Schaefer.[2] The band appeared in the film Ever Since Venus (1944), recorded for Elite and Okeh,[5] and performed on the radio.[2] After this band broke up, she started another male band a couple years later.[2] She married jazz trumpeter Randy Brooks.[2]

During the 1950s, Hutton formed a female big band that played on television and starred in The Ina Ray Hutton Show.[2] She retired from music in 1968 and died at the age of 67 on February 19, 1984 from complications due to diabetes.

Race

Although Hutton and some members of her family are known to have been white, historians have theorized that she and her family were of mixed white and African-American ancestry. In 1920, Hutton herself was listed in the US Census as "mulatto" and in 1930 as "negro".[6] Hutton was also mentioned under her original name in the black Chicago newspaper The Chicago Defender several times in articles describing the early years of her career. A photograph of her as a 7-year-old dancer appeared in a 1924 issue of the paper.[6]

Personal life

She married and divorced:

  • Charles Doerwald[7]
  • Lou Parisotto[8]
  • Randy Brooks[9]
  • Michael Anter[10]
  • John "Jack" Franklin Curtis (13 March 1963 - 28 December 1979)

Discography
  • Ina Ray Hutton and Her Melodears (Vintage Music, 2001)
  • The Definitive Collection (Fantastic Voyage, 2011)[11]

References
  1. Pool, Jeannie Gayle (2008). Peggy Gilbert & Her All-Girl Band. Scarecrow Press. p. 92. ISBN 9781461737346. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. Yanow, Scott (2008). The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide. Backbeat. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-87930-825-4.
  3. McGee, Kristin A. (2010). Some Liked It Hot: Jazz Women in Film and Television, 1928–1959. Wesleyan University Press. pp. 86–110. ISBN 9780819569677. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. Lee, William F. (2005). American Big Bands. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 183. ISBN 9780634080548. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. Young, William H.; Young, Nancy K. (2008). Music of the World War II Era. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 67. ISBN 9780313338915. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  6. McElroy, Molly (March 27, 2012). "Secrets of famous 1930s 'blonde bombshell of rhythm' revealed with help from UW library". UW News. University of Washington. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  7. Commonwealth of, Virginia (29 July 1939). "Certificate of Marriage". Fauquier County.
  8. Crittenden, Arkansas (27 October 1943). "County Marriages".
  9. Newspaper, Archive (27 June 1957). "Nevada State Journal: Reno".
  10. Newspaper, Archive (14 December 1960). "Reno Evening Gazette".
  11. Stanley, Bob (July 7, 2011). "Ina Ray Hutton: The Forgotten Female Star of 1930s Jazz". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
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