Aileen Stanley
Encyclopedia
Aileen Stanley, born Maude Elsie Aileen Muggeridge (b. 1897 in Chicago, Illinois - March 24, 1982 in Los Angeles, California
), was a popular American
singer.
as Stanley and Aileen with the encouragement of their widowed mother. After her brother left the act, Aileen started performing solo, forming her stage name by reversing the name of the old family billing.
s. In 1920 she was a hit in New York City
in the review show Silks And Satins and made the first of her numerous recordings
the same year. The majority of her records in the '20s were for the Victor Talking Machine Company
, but she also recorded with other labels
with recording studio
s in the New York City
area, including Edison
, Pathe
, Okeh
, Brunswick
, Vocalion
, Gennett
and others. Many of her records sold well at the time.
Stanley also recorded for Black Swan Records
, a label purportedly devoted only to African-American artists, under the pseudonym "Mamie Jones". Her handling of blues
material was similar to that of some of the northern black vaudeville singers of the time. Her stage appearances billed her as "The Phonograph Girl" and "The Girl With The Personality." In later life she was overheard to say that the song "I'll Get By" was written for her.
", in which she shared the vocal with newcomer Gene Austin
, helped launch Austin's illustrious career.
She recorded J. Russel Robinson and Con Conrad's 1920 jazz standard "Singin' the Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band composed by and released it as Victor 18703. She recorded the Paul Whiteman and Fred Rose composition "Flamin' Mamie
" on October 5, 1925 and released it as Victor 19828-A accompanied on ukulele by Billy "Uke" Carpenter
who provided "jazz effects
". In the late '20s Victor Records produced a popular series of records pairing Stanley with singer Billy Murray
.
and was one of the many who lost most of their life's savings in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Around 1931 Stanley moved to London
, where she made more records for HMV
from 1934 through 1937, and once confided "strictly entre nous" that she unwittingly ended her own romance when she introduced Wallace Simpson to Edward, the Prince of Wales, at the home of Thelma, Lady Furness. In her later years she worked as a singing teacher and vocal coach.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
), was a popular American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer.
Early life
As a child, Stanley, born as Maude Elsie Aileen Muggeridge, with her older brother Stanley sang and danced in vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
as Stanley and Aileen with the encouragement of their widowed mother. After her brother left the act, Aileen started performing solo, forming her stage name by reversing the name of the old family billing.
Early records
Stanley performed in vaudeville and cabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s. In 1920 she was a hit in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the review show Silks And Satins and made the first of her numerous recordings
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
the same year. The majority of her records in the '20s were for the Victor Talking Machine Company
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
, but she also recorded with other labels
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
with recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area, including Edison
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
, Pathe
Pathé Records
Pathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...
, Okeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
, Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
, Gennett
Gennett Records
Gennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....
and others. Many of her records sold well at the time.
Stanley also recorded for Black Swan Records
Black Swan Records
Black Swan Records was a United States record label founded in 1921 in Harlem, New York. It was the first widely distributed label to be owned and operated by, and marketed to, African Americans....
, a label purportedly devoted only to African-American artists, under the pseudonym "Mamie Jones". Her handling of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
material was similar to that of some of the northern black vaudeville singers of the time. Her stage appearances billed her as "The Phonograph Girl" and "The Girl With The Personality." In later life she was overheard to say that the song "I'll Get By" was written for her.
Victor records
One of Stanley's 1925 Victor recordings, "When My Sugar Walks Down the StreetWhen My Sugar Walks Down the Street
When My Sugar Walks Down the Street is a 1920s jazz standard, written by Gene Austin, Jimmy McHugh and Irving Mills in 1924.The Victor Talking Machine, bought by RCA and renamed RCA Victor at the end of 1928, made the first major recording of the song in January 1925. In his autobiography,...
", in which she shared the vocal with newcomer Gene Austin
Gene Austin
Gene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:...
, helped launch Austin's illustrious career.
She recorded J. Russel Robinson and Con Conrad's 1920 jazz standard "Singin' the Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band composed by and released it as Victor 18703. She recorded the Paul Whiteman and Fred Rose composition "Flamin' Mamie
Flamin' Mamie
Flamin' Mamie is a 1925 jazz classic composed by Paul Whiteman and Fred Rose.Paul Whiteman wrote "Flamin' Mamie" in 1925 with Fred Rose as a "Fox Trot Song" on Jazz Age themes relying on the 1920s image of the vamp: "A Red Hot Stepper"...
" on October 5, 1925 and released it as Victor 19828-A accompanied on ukulele by Billy "Uke" Carpenter
Billy "Uke" Carpenter
Billy "Uke" Carpenter was a ukulele player of note during the 1920s. He was known for his performances in the "eefin" style which was also practiced by Cliff Edwards...
who provided "jazz effects
Eefing
Eefing is an Appalachian vocal technique similar to beatboxing, but nearly a century older...
". In the late '20s Victor Records produced a popular series of records pairing Stanley with singer Billy Murray
Billy Murray (singer)
William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century...
.
Later life
Stanley was said to have invested heavily in the stock marketStock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
and was one of the many who lost most of their life's savings in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Around 1931 Stanley moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she made more records for HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
from 1934 through 1937, and once confided "strictly entre nous" that she unwittingly ended her own romance when she introduced Wallace Simpson to Edward, the Prince of Wales, at the home of Thelma, Lady Furness. In her later years she worked as a singing teacher and vocal coach.