Elise Stevenson (February 9, 1878 – November 18, 1967) was a British-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

singer who recorded commercially successful

popular songs Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

in the early years of the 20th century.

Biography

She was born Eliza Stevens in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, and emigrated to the United States. She became a member of the Lyric Quartet, with

Harry Macdonough John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871 – September 26, 1931), known professionally as Harry Macdonough, was a Canadian-born singer and recording executive. He was one of the most prolific and popular tenors during the formative years of th ...

, Frank Stanley, and Corrine Morgan, and also of the Trinity Choir. From 1907, she recorded as a solo singer 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 ...

. Frank Stanley was her manager, as well as her partner in many duet recordings; she also recorded with Harry Macdonough, and

Henry Burr Henry Burr (January 15, 1882 – April 6, 1941) was a Canadian singer, radio performer and producer. He was born Harry Haley McClaskey and used Henry Burr as one of his many pseudonyms, in addition to Irving Gillette, Henry Gillette, Alfred Ale ...

. Her most successful recordings included "The Linger Longer Girl" (1907), "Because You're You" (1907), "Are You Sincere?" (1908), " Good Evening, Caroline" (with Frank Stanley, 1909), and "

Shine On, Harvest Moon "Shine On, Harvest Moon" is a popular early-1900s song credited to the married vaudeville team Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. It was one of a series of moon-related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the ...

" (with Harry Macdonough, 1909). She married Milton Rusling Wood in 1905, and thereafter was occasionally billed as Elise (or Elsie) Wood. She retired from recording at the peak of her popularity, soon after 1911, to raise a family. She died in 1967 in

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic c ...

, at the age of 89. California, Death Index, 1940-1997, Social Security #085094696
/ref>

Discography

Elise Stevenson recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

References

1878 births 1967 deaths Singers from Liverpool American sopranos Victor Records artists Pioneer recording artists English emigrants to the United States 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers {{US-singer-stub