George Dewey Washington
George Dewey Washington (1898-1954) was an American singer active in vaudeville and motion pictures from the 1920s through the 1940s. He was a powerful baritone or bass-baritone who often appeared on stage in the guise of "The Gentleman Tramp". He was sometimes compared to Al Jolson.
Washington appeared in a number of short films for M-G-M and Paramount Pictures from 1928-1932, the early years of "talkies", including some of M-G-M's first musical shorts. At one point, he played three weeks in a row at the Paramount Theatre on Broadway. He was described at the time as a "hot favorite" with a "sympathetic voice [that] goes straight to the heart" and that is "well adapted for the talkies".[1][2]
Discography
Washington recorded a number of 10-inch discs for Columbia Records between 1928 and 1930, all as a soloist with an orchestra or ensemble, including:[3]
- The Spell of the Blues
- The Sun is at My Window (Throwing Kisses at Me)
- I'll Never Ask for More
- Lonely Vagabond
- Poor Punchinello
- (Step by Step — Mile by Mile) I'm Marching Home to You
- High Water
- Dreary Night
- Signs of the Highway
- The Fool's Parade
References
- ↑ African American Films Through 1959: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography, Larry Richards. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company (1998), pp. 66-67, 127-128, 144. ISBN 0-7864-2274-2
- ↑ The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926-1931, Edwin M. Bradley. Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company (2005), pp. 55-56, 212, 216-217. ISBN 978-0-7864-4319-2
- ↑ George Dewey Washington (vocalist: baritone vocal), Discography of American Historical Recordings, University of California at Santa Barbara Library, accessed March 14, 2017