Estrild Raymona Myers (March 11, 1909 – December 14, 1972), known professionally as Ramona, was an American cabaret and jazz singer and pianist. She was most prominent during the 1930s and best known for her association with

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 193 ...

and his orchestra.

Biography

Growing up

Ramona was born March 11, 1909, in the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

suburb of Lockland, Ohio, to teenage parents – Raymond Pendery Myers (1891–1962), who was , and Rachel Margaret DeCamp ''(maiden;'' 1893–1963), who was . Her parents' marriage was annulled before her birth by her paternal grandparents, Herman Jackson Myers (1859–1945) and Jessie Henrietta Pendery (1960–''n.a.),'' though they were unaware that Rachel was pregnant. Rachel and Ramona, when she was still an infant, moved to

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon the southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West ...

, where Rachel met Charles Clifford Payne (1893–1933) and, around 1917, married him. The

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

s for Raymona Estrild were drawn from her father and her maternal grandmother, Estrild "Trillie" DeCamp ''(né'' Estrild Riggs; born 1860–1928).

Music career

When she was twelve, Ramona played piano at a hotel every weekend. She was hired by a radio station in Kansas City as a staff pianist. Three years later moved to Pittsburgh and started singing. Around 1929, she became singer and pianist with Don Bestor and His Orchestra – at the William Penn Hotel in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and on tour, coast-to-coast. She later performed in vaudeville. Ramona became a vocalist and pianist for

's Orchestra from 1932–37, succeeding

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentime ...

. She performed on Whiteman's radio show in 1933,

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

's radio show in 1933–34, and the ''

Kraft Music Hall ''The Kraft Music Hall'' was a popular old-time radio variety show, variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired first on NBC radio from 1933 to 1949. Radio ''The Kraft Program'' debuted June 26, 1933, as a musical- ...

'' in late 1934 through early 1935 (before

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

took over the latter program in 1936). She was featured with the Whiteman band in the

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...

1935 film '' Thanks a Million''. She left Whiteman's band in 1937 and worked as a solo act, recording for Liberty Music Shop Records. In the late 1930s, she led a male big band and recorded for Varsity Records.

Personal life

Ramona was married three times. She first married in 1929 to Howard L. Davies. She then married 1936 to H. Kenyon Hopkins (1912–1983), an arranger for Andre Kostelanetz and

. They divorced around June 1943. Ramona then married June 14, 1944, to baseball broadcaster Al Helfer, which whom, she had her only child, a daughter, Ramona Margaret Perry ''(née'' Ramona Margaret Helfer; 1945–2017), born in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Ramona, the mother, remained married to Al Helfer until her death.

Death

Ramona Davies died of cancer in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, California on December 14, 1972.

Discography

* ''Ramona and Her Grand Piano''

Songs

* I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby (

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

), recorded September 13, 1935 * I Hate to Think That You'll Grow Old, Baby (

Lew Brown Lew Brown (born Louis Brownstein; December 10, 1893 – February 5, 1958) was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States. During World War I and the Roaring Twenties, he wrote lyrics for several of the top Tin Pan Alley composers, espec ...

Ray Henderson Ray Henderson (born Raymond Brost; December 1, 1896 – December 31, 1970) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Buffalo, New York, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley. He was one-third of ...

), March 7, 1933 * The Beat O' My Heart ( Harold Spina & Johnny Burke), February 27, 1934 * You Excite Me! (

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

& Frank Perkins), August 16, 1933 * Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore ( Harold Spina & Johnny Burke), October 24, 1933 * Broadway's Gone Hill-Billy,

& Jay Gorney), March 27, 1934 * Are You Makin' Any Money? ( Herman Hupfeld, July 20, 1933 * I Lay Me Down to Sleep, ( Allie Wrubel), April 19, 1933 * Not for All the Rice in China (

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 ...

), October 20, 1933 * A Penny for Your Thoughts ( E.Y Harburg &

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I ...

), March 1, 1933 * Barrel-House Music (

Willard Robison Willard Robison (September 18, 1894 – June 24, 1968) was an American vocalist, pianist, and composer of popular songs, born in Shelbina, Missouri. His songs reflect a rural, melancholy theme steeped in Americana and their warm style has ...

) September 13, 1935 * Come Up and See Me Sometime ( Louis Alter & Arthur Swanstrom). August 8, 1933 * I'm No Angel ( Harvey Brooks, Gladys DuBois, Ben Ellison), October 20, 1933 * I Found a New Way to Go to Town (Harvey Brooks, Gladys DuBois, Ben Ellison), October 20, 1933 * New O'leans ( Arthur Lange), July 9, 1935 * Ah, the Moon Is Here (

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatr ...

& Irving Kahal), August 16, 1933 * Tony's Wife (

Burton Lane Burton Lane ( Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include '' Finian's Rainbow'' in 1947 and '' On a Clear Day Yo ...

& Harold Adamson), March 7, 1933 * No Strings, (

), September 13, 1935 * Every Now And Then (

Abner Silver Abner Silberman (28 December 1899 in New York City, New York, United States – 24 November 1966) as pen name Abner Silver, was an American songwriter who worked primarily during the Tin Pan Alley era of the craft. Career Usually composing the ...

Al Sherman Avrum Sherman (September 7, 1897 – September 16, 1973), pen name Al Sherman, was an American songwriter and composer active during the Tin Pan Alley era in American music history. Some of his most recognizable song titles include " You Gotta B ...

, & Al Lewis), September 13, 1935 * We're Out of the Red (

& Jay Gorney), March 27, 1934 * Never Had an Education ( Irving Caesar &

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his Musical theatre, musicals and operettas, particularly ''The Student Prince'' (1924), ''The Desert Song'' (1926) and ''The New Moo ...

), March 7, 1933 * Raisin' the Rent (

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 ' ...

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but ...

), April 20, 1933 * Anything Goes, (

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 ...

), October 26, 1934 * The Heart Is Quicker Than the Eye (

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 ...

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 ...

), April 28, 1936

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramona 1909 births 1972 deaths American cabaret performers Deaths from cancer in California People from Ashland, Kentucky People from Lockland, Ohio Singers from Cincinnati 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Kentucky women musicians RCA Victor artists