Helen Trix (1886 – November 19, 1951) was an American dancer, singer, and song composer. The August 1906 edition of ''Edison Phonograph Monthly'' describes her as having a "clear, well modulated contralto voice".

Early years

Trix and six siblings grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. In 1919, her sister Josephine joined her in performing in

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 ...

, "a dancer and singer fresh from a convent."

Vaudeville and stage entertainer

The Trix sisters performed songs written by Helen, who also provided accompaniment. By August 1926, Helen had begun performing with another sister, Mattie, in a duo that "scored immensely in the London Music Halls for several seasons". After Helen Trix left the original act. Helen Lewis, from Liverpool, England, replaced her, performing with Josephine as the Trix Sisters. In April 1935, Lewis left the act and Josephine sought another "Helen Trix". During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Trix took part in a gala performance which combined

performers with members of Company A of the Seventy-First Regiment,

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

and twelve

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

dancers also appeared in the entertainment event staged at the Liberty Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She was a regular performer on the

Keith-Albee-Orpheum The Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation was the owner of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theatres. It was formed by the merger of the holdings of Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee II and Martin Beck (vaudeville), Martin Beck's ...

vaudeville circuit for many years. Her first

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n tour was in 1913. Her sisters, Josephine and Mattie, sometimes accompanied her on stage. She was sometimes called the "Piano songwhistleress". She made her debut in England in 1909. Trix performed in the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

, ''The League of Nations'', in 1920. She appeared in the English capitol, in ''Tricks'', in 1925-1926. She remained abroad for more than four years. Trix also did shows in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and the primary cities in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. In 1926 she was featured in the ''International Revue'' produced by George Jessel.

Songs and radio

Trix composed such songs as "Follow Me", "You'd Love To Live In Paris", "London Town", and "Beautiful Shangri-La". She performed songs on WGBS, on a regular radio program. The show aired from 8:00–8:15 pm in 1930. The recital was listed as ''Helen Trix

diseuse A monologist (), or interchangeably monologuist (), is a solo artist who recites or gives dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry, or work of literature, for the entertainment of an audience. The term can also refer to a person w ...

''.

Personal life and death

Trix lived at the Stratford Hotel, on East Thirty-Second Street. On November 18, 1951, she died at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in New York City, aged 54.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trix, Helen 1886 births 1951 deaths 20th-century American composers American female dancers American radio actresses American stage actresses American vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American women composers