Hilda Perleno was an American blues and jazz singer, known for her Broadway appearances in the 1920s and 1930s.

Biography

Hilda Eugeana Perleno was a native of

East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis, also known as ESTL, is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is directly across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro East ...

, and attended the music conservatory at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

between 1918 and 1922. Her first role as a performer was as a chorus girl in the 1924 production ''In Bamville''. In September 1924, Perleno appeared on Broadway as a chorus girl in ''The Chocolate Dandie''. In 1925-6, she found work as a first soprano for the

Harlem Production Company Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

. In 1927 she recorded

Donald Heywood Donald Heywood (24 October 1896 – 13 January 1967) was a Trinidadian-born American songwriter, composer, writer and director. He composed for " I'm Coming Virginia" in 1926, which became a hit for Ethel Waters. He became a prominent figure in bl ...

's "Mango Lane" and "Susanne", singing a duet with Dan Michaels as the composer accompanied them on the piano. In March 1927, she appeared opposite Berlena Banks and

Jesse Shipp Jesse Allison Shipp, Sr. (March 24, 1864, in Cincinnati, Ohio – May 1, 1934, in Jamaica, Queens, New York)Lucky Sambo ''Lucky Sambo'' was a 1925 musical comedy staged on Broadway. It originally toured as ''Aces and Queens'' in 1923 and 1924. It was by Porter Grainger and Freddy Johnson. It played at the Colonial Theatre (New York City). Time magazine described i ...

'' at the La Salle Theatre in Chicago. Perleno, along with

Amanda Randolph Amanda E. Randolph (September 2, 1896 – August 24, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's ''The Laytons''. Early ...

, was one of the Three Dixie Songbirds in the production. She had been appearing in the production since 1925. Perleno, along with

Blanche Calloway Blanche Dorothea Jones Calloway (February 9, 1902 – December 16, 1978) was an American jazz singer, composer, and bandleader. She was the older sister of Cab Calloway and was a successful singer before her brother. With a music career that span ...

, Anna Freeman, Byron Jones, Lew Keene and

Evelyn Keyes Evelyn Louise Keyes (November 20, 1916 – July 4, 2008) was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film ''Gone with the Wind''. Early life Evelyn Keyes was born in Port Arthur, Texas, to Omar Do ...

performed in the 1928 show ''Keep Shufflin'' by

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

& Lyles at the Erlanger Theater, Chicago. Perleno made regular radio appearances on WCGU in 1928; at times she was joined by Donald Heywood. In April 1929, Perleno appeared in the ensemble for ''Messin' Around'', and in June, at the

Royale Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened ...

, she had a minor role as Sheila Nesbit in the play '' Bamboola''. Perleno sang in the numbers "Ace of Spades", "Tampico Tune" and "Shoutin Sinners" in the musical. In 1930, Perleno appeared in ''Hot Rhythm'', and in April 1930 she appeared alongside Margaret Simms, Allen Virgel and

Valaida Snow Valaida Snow (June 2, 1904. Other presumed birth years are 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, and 1907 – May 30, 1956) was an American jazz musician and entertainer who performed internationally. She was also known as "Little Louis" and "Queen of the Tru ...

in a production of ''

Shuffle Along ''Shuffle Along'' is a musical composed by Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle and a book written by the comedy duo Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. One of the most notable all-Black hit Broadway shows, it was a landmark in African-Amer ...

'' in Werba's Brooklyn Theatre. By 1931, Perleno was one of the featured performers for Ed Smalls' ''Club Paradise Revue''. Smalls, the owner of

Smalls Paradise Smalls Paradise (often called Small's Paradise and Smalls' Paradise), was a nightclub in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Located in the basement of 2294 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard at 134th Street, it opened in 1925 ...

, produced regular revues for the club featuring the Smalls' Paradise permanent cast of entertainers. He commissioned original music for the revues, which were performed both at the club and also at local theaters. Jackie "Moms" Mabley was also one of those featured when the revue played at

The Harlem Alhambra The Harlem Alhambra was a theater in Harlem, New York, built in 1905, that began as a vaudeville venue. The building still stands at 2108-2118 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (7th Avenue) at the South-West corner of 126th Street. The architect ...

. In April 1937, she appeared supporting

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and the

Chick Webb Orchestra William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. The ...

during their one-week engagement at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

in New York City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perleno, Hilda American women jazz singers American jazz singers American blues singers 20th-century American singers People from East St. Louis, Illinois 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from Illinois