Vaughn De Leath

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Vaughn De Leath (1894 - 1943) was a famous female radio jazz singer who gained popularity in the 1920s and became known as "The Original Radio Girl" and "First Lady of Radio". She was also one of early crooners. One of her songs was Are You Lonesome Tonight?, recorded in 1927 and later recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960. Although popular in the 1920s, De Leath is little known today.

She was born as Leonore Vonderleith in the midwestern town of Mt. Pulaski, Illinois in 1894. At age of 12, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother and sister, where she finished high school and studied music. While at Mills College, she began writing her own songs, but later dropped out to pursue a singing career. Later she changed her name to Vaughn De Leath.

De Leath's vocals ranged from soprano to deep contralto and easily adapted to the Jazz and radio age in the 1920s. Her first break was in January of 1920 when Lee DeForest brought her to his studio in New York City's World Tower. Vaughn De Leath sang Swanee River, in a cramped room, and most of her listeners were only equipped with crystal radio. This was the first live singing broadcast.

By 1921, she began singing at WJZ, later known as WABC-AM 770. She was known for her endurance and could entertain her audience for hours. In 1923, she became the first female executive to run a radio station, WJZ, along with a small network of power stations. In 1922 she began recording on different labels, including Edison Records. In 1928, she appeared on an experimental television broadcast and later became a special guest for the debut broadcast of Voice of Firestone Radio Hour.

In 1931, she sued Kate Smith for using the "First Lady of the Radio" designation. Although Smith stopped for a while, she resumed after De Leath's death. De Leath made her last recording in 1931 under Eli Oberstein's Crown label. She died at the age of 48 and, prior to her death, was penniless and suffering from a drinking problem.