Elisabeth Welch (1904 in New York - 2003 in Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom) was an American born singer, actress, and entertainer whose career spanned seven decades, mainly performing in Britain. After her first appearance in "Liza" in 1922, Elisabeth Welch was the initial singer of the Charleston in the show "Runnin' Wild" , 1923. During the 1920s she appeared in several Negro Broadway shows. One of these was taken to Paris where she, following a co-artist Josephine Baker, was in a number of caberet shows, including performances at the Moulin Rouge. She was asked to return to New York where she replaced a singer in "The New Yorkers" where she sang 'Love for Sale'. Cole Porter, its composer, met her after in Paris, and later requested that she perform his song 'Solomon' in Nymph Errant in London. Before this show was available she was given permission to perform in "Dark Doings", in which she sang 'Stormy Weather', which she took as her signiture tune. She was seen by Ivor Novello, who offered her a part in his new show "Glamorous Nights", in which she sang 'Far Away in Shanty Town'. During the late 1930s, Elisabeth Welch enter two different media. She appeared in several films, usually as a singer. She was one of the first artist to perform on TV. After the war she was in many West End shows, including a number of reviews. She also had a series of one-woman shows that lasted until 1990. In 1980, she returned to New York to appear in "Black Broadway" after an absence of nearly fifty years, and appeared there again in 1986 where she did a one-woman show that earned her an Obie Award. Her final performance was in 1996 for a TV documentary where she sang Stormy Weather at the age of 93. This wonderful performance was recorded in 1936 with Benny Carter's Quartet, featuring Benny Carter (tp)(as), Gene Rodgers (p), Ivor Mairants (g), Wally Morris (sb).
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