Dorothy Shay
| Dorothy Shay | |
|---|---|
Dorothy Shay on Cresta Blanca Carnival circa 1940s
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dorothy Sims |
| Born |
April 21, 1921 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | October 22, 1978 (aged 57) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
Pop Novelty |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer Actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1945–1978 |
| Labels | Columbia, Capitol, Imperial |
Dorothy Shay (April 11, 1921 – October 22, 1978) was an American popular comedic recording artist in the late 1940s and early 1950s, who later became a character actress. She was known as the "Park Avenue Hillbilly".
Shay was born Dorothy Sims in Jacksonville, Florida. When she began her career as a 'straight' singer, she took vocal lessons to lose her Southern accent. She sang for the USO during World War II. Dorothy changed her name to "Shay" in order to not be confused with Ginny Simms, another performer of the day, choosing "Shay" to honor her mentor Betty Shay (later Betty Corday). While performing with Morton Gould and his orchestra, she performed an encore, "Uncle Fud", a hayseed novelty number that became very popular and launched her solo singing career.
She signed with Columbia Records and recorded a series of hit records. Her biggest hit was "Feudin' and Fightin'" in 1947. In that same year, her album, "Dorothy Shay (The Park Avenue Hillbilly) Sings", was rated number 1 in Billboard magazine's Best-Selling Popular Albums. She was the first female artist to have a number 1 album on the Billboard chart.
In her singing engagements, she performed dressed as a sophisticated urbanite while talking like a rural Southerner.
She was popular in clubs, radio and television. She played a nightclub singer, also named Dorothy, in the 1951 Abbott and Costello movie Comin' Round The Mountain. Shay was the musical guest on the debut episode of The Jack Benny Program in October of 1950. She performed at Dwight D. Eisenhower's Inaugural Ball in 1953. She recorded for Capitol Records and Imperial Records where she recorded a rockabilly song titled "Hunky Dory".
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