Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Biography

Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. At fifteen, she left home to pursue a singing career, singing on New York City radio stations. Her career was interrupted by a fall while horseback riding. She suffered temporary blindness but recovered. At the age of 19 she was a member of the

Leo Reisman Leo F. Reisman (October 11, 1897 – December 18, 1961) was an American violinist and bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. Born and reared in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Inspired by the Russian-American violinist Jascha Heifetz, Reisman st ...

Orchestra, with whom in 1931 she recorded three songs: "Take It from Me", "Time On My Hands", and her composition "Got the South in My Soul". Wiley began her radio career at KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She sang on the ''Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt'' program on NBC in 1932, and was featured on Victor Young's radio show in 1933. From June 10, 1936, until September 2, 1936, she had her own show, ''Lee Wiley'', on CBS. In 1939, Wiley recorded eight Gershwin songs on 78s with a small group for Liberty Music Shop Records. The set sold well and was followed by 78s dedicated to the music of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

(1940) and

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; " The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; " Bewitched, Bo ...

(1940 and 1954),

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

(1943), and 10" LPs dedicated to the music of

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

and

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 ...

(1951). She sang with

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and later, the Casa Loma Orchestra. A collaboration with composer Victor Young resulted in several songs for which Wiley wrote the lyrics, including "Got the South in My Soul" and "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere." On October 11, 1963, ''Bob Hope Theater'' on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

-TV presented "Something About Lee Wiley".

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023) was an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), and the miniseries ...

portrayed Wiley in the episode, which was produced by Revue Studios. Wiley's singing voice was provided by Joy Bryan.

Personal life

Lee Wiley was born with last name Willey. Lee was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and was buried in her family plot in Cherokee Nation. Wiley married the jazz pianist Jess Stacy in 1943. The couple was described by their friend Deane Kincaide as being as "compatible as two cats, tails tied together, hanging over a clothesline"; they divorced in 1948. Her response to Stacy's desire to get a divorce was, "What will Bing Crosby be thinking of you divorcing me?", while Stacy said of Wiley, "They did not burn the last witch at Salem."Coller, D. (1998). ''Jess Stacy: The Quiet Man of Jazz'', GHB Jazz Foundation, 1998; She later married retired businessman Nat Tischenkel in 1966. Wiley died of cancer on December 11, 1975 at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City at the age of 67. Her obituary notes her last public performance was at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1972.

Discography

* ''Night in Manhattan'' (Columbia, 1951) * ''Lee Wiley Sings Vincent Youmans'' (Columbia, 1952) * ''Lee Wiley Sings Irving Berlin'' (Columbia, 1952) * ''Lee Wiley Sings Rodgers & Hart'' (Storyville, 1954) * ''Duologue'' with Ellis Larkins (Storyville, 1954) * ''West of the Moon'' (RCA Victor, 1957) * ''A Touch of the Blues'' (RCA, 1958) * ''Back Home Again'' (Monmouth Evergeen, 1971) * ''On the Air'' (Totem, 1977) * ''The Complete Session of April 10, 1940'' with Benny Berigan (Blu-Disc, 1984) * ''Live on Stage: Town Hall, New York'' (Audiophile, 2007)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Lee 1908 births 1975 deaths Jazz musicians from Oklahoma People from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Singers from Oklahoma American jazz singers American women jazz singers Deaths from colorectal cancer in New York (state) 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers