Edythe Wright
Encyclopedia
Edythe Wright was an American singer who performed with the band led by Tommy Dorsey
from 1935 to 1939.
, the youngest child of Harrison Burr Wright and Hanna(h) Heffernan. Her siblings were Ethel (1900 - ?), James (1902 - ?), Estelle (1904 - ?), Kathryn (1908 - ?), Thomas (1910 – ?) and Helen (1912 - ?). Harrison was a second cousin to the Barrymore
acting family of Philadelphia. It is not clear whether he was related to the Maurice Barrymore
(born Blythe) side of the family or the Georgiana Drew
side. He was also an actor with the troupe of Harrigan and Hart which was a popular act in the late 19th and early 20th century.
In 1900, Edythe's parents Harry Wright and Hannah Wright were living in Ward 2 of Bayonne, New Jersey (Hudson County
). Harry was born in Florida
in 1861 to Scottish emigrants and has no occupation cited. Hannah (née Heffernan) was born in 1879 in New York to Irish emigrants. A daughter, Ethel, is also listed, her birth year given as 1899 with an age of eight months. This is the only census where Harry is mentioned. In future censuses Hannah is listed as married or widowed and her children have the surname Wright but no listing of Harry has been found.
In the 1910 census Hannah and her children are listed as living in Leonia
(Bergen County, New Jersey
at the home of Harold Chase who is married to Hannah's sister Helen. Chase was a baseball player for the New York Yankees
who eventually was scarred by allegations of throwing games and illegal betting. In addition to Harold (born in California
in 1883), Helen and Hannah (who now is listed as being born in 1882 instead of 1879), the household contains the children Harold E. Chase (age 2), Ethel Wright (age 10), James Wright (age 3), Katherine Wright (age 3), Thomas Wright (age 8 months) as well as Hannah and Helen's parents Thomas Heffernan (age 58), Anna Heffernan (age 56) and sister-in law Mary Nieran (age 36).
Somewhere between 1910 and 1920 Hannah and her children moved to Ward 1 of Bayonne where they rented a home. Edythe Wright is listed as being born in 1915 and the 1920 census lists Hannah as a widow so presumably Harry has died. Since we know Edythe was born in August 1916 and not 1915, he would have expired somewhere between August 1916 (unless he died while Hannah was pregnant assuming conception of December 1915) and whenever the census was taken in 1920. Thomas Heffernan has apparently died between 1910 and 1920 as he is absent in this census.
The 1920 census lists Hanna Wright as the head of household, age 38 the 1882 birthdate has carried over and widowed. Her children are listed as Ethel Wright (age 20), James Wright (age 18), Estelle Wright (age 16), Kathryn Wright (different spelling, age 12), Thomas Wright (age 10), Helen Wright (age 8) and Edith Wright (age 5). Hannah's mother Anna Heffernan (age 72) is also listed as living with the family. No occupation for Hanna is listed.
According to the 1930 census the family has moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey
and Hanna has married Patrick Bradshaw (who like Harrison is about twenty years older than she). The residents of the Bradshaw/Wright household were Patrick Bradshaw (age 62, Irish immigrant), head of household, Hanna, wife (now born in 1885, the third birth year change in four censuses), children John Bradshaw (age 7), Thomas Wright (age 19), Helen A. Wright (age 16) and Edythe M. Wright (age 14). Anna Heffernan has apparently died since the last census. Ethel has apparently married and moved out. It is not clear if John Bradshaw is the child of Patrick and Hannah. As Edythe stated in Bandstand in 1939 that she had seven siblings, it would seem that he was her half-brother. The birthdates of the other children have also shifted by a year or so.
The census information conflicts with information provided by Edythe herself in Bandstand (a short-lived Tommy Dorsey
publication from 1939). The Bandstand article says she was born in Bayonne (correct) but moved to Highland Park
at the age of 2 months (possible if Harry died forcing Hannah to move in with relatives but the census of 1920 lists a residence of Bayonne). The 1930 census lists her as Edith M. Wright when her Christian name was Edythe H. Wright. Both Bandstand and the reminiscences of Pee Wee Erwin
(Dorsey's trumpet player) speak of residences in Highland Park but the census states New Brunswick as the place of residence.
Further research is needed to document Edythe's activities between 1930 and 1935 and determine exactly how she became known to Tommy Dorsey. A February 8, 1938 article in MIT's newspaper The Tech
says, "She hails from New Brunswick, New Jersey, where, prior to graduation, she was a leader in high school amateur theatricals and athletics." In Bandstand Edythe states that she went to St. Peter's Parochial School and St. Peter's High School
(closed 2007) in New Brunswick before transferring to New Brunswick High School
where she graduated in 1933. From there she spent time running a coffee shop with her sister (which one is unstated), studied drama at the New Jersey College for Women at New Brunswick (now a part of Rutgers) and spent her summers at Sea Girt, New Jersey
. During the summer of 1935 she was asked by bandleader Frank Dailey to fill in for his vocalist Nancy Flake during an engagement at the Asbury Park Casino. She was heard by Tommy Dorsey's agent and despite her supposed dislike of being a band vocalist and lack of formal musical training, accepted a permanent job with Dorsey. She was twenty-one years old.
Show, Raleigh-Kool), contributed arrangements to the Dorsey band. However, in September 1939 she left the Dorsey band and was immediately replaced by Anita Boyer and then Connie Haines
.
radio series (#148 "The Frightened Star") broadcast on July 14, 1940 with a rebroadcast in October 1943. She apparently spent the war years in California and returned to New York/New Jersey in 1950 to manage Sy Oliver
(advertised in Variety
). Oliver at that time was affiliated with Decca Records
.
Somewhere along the way she married John T. Smith. The date of the wedding is unknown. According to the U.S. Census of 1920 Smith was born in 1919 and resided in Milburn Township. The 1930 census lists his residence as Sea Girt. According to his U.S. Army file, he enlisted in the Army on October 6, 1941 and was assigned to Fort Dix with the rank of private. His civilian occupation(s) are listed as "Motorcycle Mechanic or Packer, High Explosives (Munitions worker, ammunition) or Toolroom Keeper or Stock Clerk or Stock Control Clerk". He served as a combat engineer in Alaska during World War II. Smith died in June 1981.
During the 1950s she was apparently a Democratic Committeewoman from Wall Township, New Jersey
and according to Rose Shiffman directed amateur theatricals at the Chadwick Beach Club in the early 1960s. Her residence was 10 Pershing Avenue in Manasquan, New Jersey
. She died from pancreatic cancer
at the Point Pleasant Hospital on October 27, 1965. She left behind her husband and son as well as three brothers and three sisters. She was 51 years old.
According to her obituary she was laid out at the Meehan Funeral Home in Spring Lake Heights
, a Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Denis Roman Catholic Church in Manasquan with burial taking place at St. Catherine's Cemetery in Spring Lake Heights.
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
from 1935 to 1939.
Early life
Edythe Wright was born in Bayonne, New JerseyBayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
, the youngest child of Harrison Burr Wright and Hanna(h) Heffernan. Her siblings were Ethel (1900 - ?), James (1902 - ?), Estelle (1904 - ?), Kathryn (1908 - ?), Thomas (1910 – ?) and Helen (1912 - ?). Harrison was a second cousin to the Barrymore
Barrymore
Barrymore is a surname and may refer to:*Barrymore family of American actors*Earl of Barrymore, a title in the Kingdom of Ireland dating to 1622- See also :* Barony of Barrymore, a barony in County Cork, Ireland...
acting family of Philadelphia. It is not clear whether he was related to the Maurice Barrymore
Maurice Barrymore
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe —stage name Maurice Barrymore — was the patriarch of the Barrymore acting family and great-grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore.-Early life:...
(born Blythe) side of the family or the Georgiana Drew
Georgiana Drew
Georgiana Emma Drew , aka Georgie Drew Barrymore, was an American stage actress and a member of the Barrymore acting family....
side. He was also an actor with the troupe of Harrigan and Hart which was a popular act in the late 19th and early 20th century.
In 1900, Edythe's parents Harry Wright and Hannah Wright were living in Ward 2 of Bayonne, New Jersey (Hudson County
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
). Harry was born in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1861 to Scottish emigrants and has no occupation cited. Hannah (née Heffernan) was born in 1879 in New York to Irish emigrants. A daughter, Ethel, is also listed, her birth year given as 1899 with an age of eight months. This is the only census where Harry is mentioned. In future censuses Hannah is listed as married or widowed and her children have the surname Wright but no listing of Harry has been found.
In the 1910 census Hannah and her children are listed as living in Leonia
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge....
(Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
at the home of Harold Chase who is married to Hannah's sister Helen. Chase was a baseball player for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
who eventually was scarred by allegations of throwing games and illegal betting. In addition to Harold (born in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1883), Helen and Hannah (who now is listed as being born in 1882 instead of 1879), the household contains the children Harold E. Chase (age 2), Ethel Wright (age 10), James Wright (age 3), Katherine Wright (age 3), Thomas Wright (age 8 months) as well as Hannah and Helen's parents Thomas Heffernan (age 58), Anna Heffernan (age 56) and sister-in law Mary Nieran (age 36).
Somewhere between 1910 and 1920 Hannah and her children moved to Ward 1 of Bayonne where they rented a home. Edythe Wright is listed as being born in 1915 and the 1920 census lists Hannah as a widow so presumably Harry has died. Since we know Edythe was born in August 1916 and not 1915, he would have expired somewhere between August 1916 (unless he died while Hannah was pregnant assuming conception of December 1915) and whenever the census was taken in 1920. Thomas Heffernan has apparently died between 1910 and 1920 as he is absent in this census.
The 1920 census lists Hanna Wright as the head of household, age 38 the 1882 birthdate has carried over and widowed. Her children are listed as Ethel Wright (age 20), James Wright (age 18), Estelle Wright (age 16), Kathryn Wright (different spelling, age 12), Thomas Wright (age 10), Helen Wright (age 8) and Edith Wright (age 5). Hannah's mother Anna Heffernan (age 72) is also listed as living with the family. No occupation for Hanna is listed.
According to the 1930 census the family has moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and Hanna has married Patrick Bradshaw (who like Harrison is about twenty years older than she). The residents of the Bradshaw/Wright household were Patrick Bradshaw (age 62, Irish immigrant), head of household, Hanna, wife (now born in 1885, the third birth year change in four censuses), children John Bradshaw (age 7), Thomas Wright (age 19), Helen A. Wright (age 16) and Edythe M. Wright (age 14). Anna Heffernan has apparently died since the last census. Ethel has apparently married and moved out. It is not clear if John Bradshaw is the child of Patrick and Hannah. As Edythe stated in Bandstand in 1939 that she had seven siblings, it would seem that he was her half-brother. The birthdates of the other children have also shifted by a year or so.
The census information conflicts with information provided by Edythe herself in Bandstand (a short-lived Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
publication from 1939). The Bandstand article says she was born in Bayonne (correct) but moved to Highland Park
Highland Park, New Jersey
Highland Park is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,982....
at the age of 2 months (possible if Harry died forcing Hannah to move in with relatives but the census of 1920 lists a residence of Bayonne). The 1930 census lists her as Edith M. Wright when her Christian name was Edythe H. Wright. Both Bandstand and the reminiscences of Pee Wee Erwin
Pee Wee Erwin
Pee Wee Erwin was an American jazz trumpeter.-Biography:Erwin started on trumpet at age four. He played in several territory bands before joining the groups of Joe Haymes and Isham Jones...
(Dorsey's trumpet player) speak of residences in Highland Park but the census states New Brunswick as the place of residence.
Further research is needed to document Edythe's activities between 1930 and 1935 and determine exactly how she became known to Tommy Dorsey. A February 8, 1938 article in MIT's newspaper The Tech
The Tech
The Tech may refer to:* The Tech Museum of Innovation, in San Jose, California* The Tech , the oldest and largest student newspaper at MIT and the first newspaper ever on the internet...
says, "She hails from New Brunswick, New Jersey, where, prior to graduation, she was a leader in high school amateur theatricals and athletics." In Bandstand Edythe states that she went to St. Peter's Parochial School and St. Peter's High School
St. Peter's High School
Mansfield St. Peter's High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school located in Mansfield, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo.-Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships:...
(closed 2007) in New Brunswick before transferring to New Brunswick High School
New Brunswick High School
New Brunswick High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in New Brunswick, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the New Brunswick Public Schools....
where she graduated in 1933. From there she spent time running a coffee shop with her sister (which one is unstated), studied drama at the New Jersey College for Women at New Brunswick (now a part of Rutgers) and spent her summers at Sea Girt, New Jersey
Sea Girt, New Jersey
Sea Girt is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,828.Sea Girt was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1917, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum...
. During the summer of 1935 she was asked by bandleader Frank Dailey to fill in for his vocalist Nancy Flake during an engagement at the Asbury Park Casino. She was heard by Tommy Dorsey's agent and despite her supposed dislike of being a band vocalist and lack of formal musical training, accepted a permanent job with Dorsey. She was twenty-one years old.
Big Band era
Edythe Wright's career spanned from September 1935 through September 1939. She made 121 studio recordings (of which 120 were issued on 87 discs) with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra/Clambake Seven/California Ramblers, several recordings under a pseudonym for transcription purposes, was a fixture on radio (Jack PearlJack Pearl
Jack Pearl, born Jack Perlman , was a vaudeville performer and a star of early radio.Born in New York, Pearl made an easy transition from vaudeville to broadfcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in 1932. His creation was loosely based on the...
Show, Raleigh-Kool), contributed arrangements to the Dorsey band. However, in September 1939 she left the Dorsey band and was immediately replaced by Anita Boyer and then Connie Haines
Connie Haines
Connie Haines was an American singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra...
.
Post-Dorsey era
Evidence exists that Edythe did at least one broadcast for the Ellery QueenEllery Queen
Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by...
radio series (#148 "The Frightened Star") broadcast on July 14, 1940 with a rebroadcast in October 1943. She apparently spent the war years in California and returned to New York/New Jersey in 1950 to manage Sy Oliver
Sy Oliver
Melvin "Sy" Oliver was a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader...
(advertised in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
). Oliver at that time was affiliated with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
.
Somewhere along the way she married John T. Smith. The date of the wedding is unknown. According to the U.S. Census of 1920 Smith was born in 1919 and resided in Milburn Township. The 1930 census lists his residence as Sea Girt. According to his U.S. Army file, he enlisted in the Army on October 6, 1941 and was assigned to Fort Dix with the rank of private. His civilian occupation(s) are listed as "Motorcycle Mechanic or Packer, High Explosives (Munitions worker, ammunition) or Toolroom Keeper or Stock Clerk or Stock Control Clerk". He served as a combat engineer in Alaska during World War II. Smith died in June 1981.
During the 1950s she was apparently a Democratic Committeewoman from Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township, New Jersey
Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 26,164.Wall Township was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1851...
and according to Rose Shiffman directed amateur theatricals at the Chadwick Beach Club in the early 1960s. Her residence was 10 Pershing Avenue in Manasquan, New Jersey
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
. She died from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
at the Point Pleasant Hospital on October 27, 1965. She left behind her husband and son as well as three brothers and three sisters. She was 51 years old.
According to her obituary she was laid out at the Meehan Funeral Home in Spring Lake Heights
Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey
Spring Lake Heights is a borough located in the southern coastal portion of Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,713....
, a Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Denis Roman Catholic Church in Manasquan with burial taking place at St. Catherine's Cemetery in Spring Lake Heights.