Edith Wilson was one of the early ‘Divas’ she
found fame in the entertainment industry as a singer on stage and in
nightclubs. She toured widely with her comedy revues, sang in front of some of
the biggest swing bands of the era, and developed an acting career in films, on
radio and in TV. she recorded some songs for Columbia in 1921, backed
by Johnny Dunn’s Jazz Hounds, and released 17 tracks over the next three years.
By 1930, Edith had stopped recording altogether, but her career moved towards
revue, making her a stage star, and she toured Britain several times to huge
acclaim. Edith’s ‘Hot Chocolate’, ‘Plantation Revue’ and ‘Creole Follies’ were
examples of her club work in Harlem, where she attracted a big crossover
audience. She was also a frequent guest of the biggest bands around in the 30s
and 40s, performing with Duke Ellington, Bill Robinson and Cab Calloway, and
when she teamed up with Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, they were billed as ‘A
Thousand Pounds of Joy!’
By 1963, Edith had retired from
performing to become secretary of the Negro Actors Guild as well as other work
for charities and literary organisations. She was tempted back to the
microphone ten years later to record and perform with Little Brother Montgomery,
Eubie Blake and others. Her last public appearance was at the Newport Jazz
Festival in 1980, and she passed away the following year, aged 84.