Elida Mary Morris (November 12, 1886 – December 25, 1977), later Elida Morris Cooper, was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

singer, comedian and actress. She was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania. US Passport Application, 1912
Retrieved June 4, 2013 She started her career in

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...

s, and first recorded for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

in 1910. A

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, she also recorded for Columbia. Her successful solo recordings included "Kiss Me, My Honey, Kiss Me" (1910) and "If I Had Someone at Home Like You" (1914). One of her successes in 1910 was "Stop, Stop, Stop (Come Over and Love Me Some More)", written by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

, which she sang with "considerable rhythmic and melodic freedom... speaking the key words "Stop, stop, stop" in an obviously provocative way". She sang in the new "

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat (music), off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of ...

" style, and was sometimes described as a " coon shouter". In a 1912 Victor catalog, she was described as "The Girl Who Chases Away All Gloom". She recorded "Play Me a Good Old-Fashioned Melody" in 1912; the

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...

cover showed her as a male impersonator, but it is unclear whether this was a regular part of her vaudeville performances. ''Elida Morris, male impersonator, 1912,'' at Queer Music Heritage
Retrieved June 4, 2013 She also recorded in duos with Billy Murray ("Angel Eyes", 1910),

Walter Van Brunt Walter Van Brunt (22 April 1892 – 11 April 1971) was an American tenor known initially for his recordings on Thomas Alva Edison's Blue Amberol Records and later for his role in a scandal involving a stage name and case of adultery. Biograph ...

("I've Got Your Number", 1911), and Sam Ash ("Hello, Frisco!", from '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1915''). She appeared in ''

The Passing Show of 1916 ''The Passing Show of 1916'' is a revue featuring the music of Sigmund Romberg and Otto Motzan, with book and lyrics by Harold Atteridge. It included the first George Gershwin songs introduced in a Broadway show. It opened in the Winter Gar ...

'', a novelty vaudeville show starring

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...

. The programme notes report her as saying: "I would love a husband... if I could find one that suited. I would just love to be the boss, you understand, if I launched into matrimony, because it is the age of equal rights and I just love the suffrage idea." She also sang in opera. She made at least four trips to perform in England between 1912 and 1920, US Passport Application, 1920
Retrieved June 4, 2013 and also performed in France and South Africa. Liner notes to ''Come Josephine in my Flying Machine: Inventions and Topics in Popular Song 1910–1929'', New World Records
. Retrieved June 5, 2013 In 1923 she married Norwood R. Cooper, and retired from the stage. She became one of the founder members of the Women's Aeronautical Association, an organisation to which

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

also belonged. In 1932 she launched a vocal training studio in

Van Nuys, Los Angeles Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 19 ...

, ''The Van Nuys News'', November 1, 1932, p.4
/ref> and in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she became Director of Volunteer Camp Shows, booking stars to entertain US troops. She was reportedly still active in her church choir in 1973. She died in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

in 1977 at the age of 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Elida 1886 births 1977 deaths American sopranos American vaudeville performers Actresses from Philadelphia 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers