Edythe Wright
| Edythe Wright | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 16, 1914 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 27, 1965 (aged 51) Point Pleasant, New Jersey |
| Genres | Jazz, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1935–1939 |
| Associated acts | Tommy Dorsey |
Edythe Wright (August 16, 1914 - October 27, 1965) was an American singer who performed with the band led by Tommy Dorsey from 1935 to 1939.
Edythe Wright was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the youngest child of Harrison Burr Wright and Hanna(h) Heffernan. Her siblings were Ethel (b. 1900), James (b. 1902), Estelle (b. 1904), Kathryn (b. 1908), Thomas (b. 1910) and Helen (b. 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 Bandstand Wright states that she went to St. Peter's Parochial School and St. Peter's High School 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, 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.
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, and the California Ramblers, several recordings under a pseudonym for transcription purposes. She was a fixture on radio (Jack Pearl Show, Raleigh-Kool), and contributed arrangements to the Dorsey band. However, in September 1939 she left the Dorsey band and was replaced by Anita Boyer and then Connie Haines.
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