Leslie Hutchinson
| Leslie Hutchinson | |
|---|---|
Hutch in the 1930s
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leslie Arthur Julien Hutchinson |
| Also known as | "Hutch" |
| Born | 7 March 1900 |
| Origin | Gouyave, Grenada |
| Died | 18 August 1969 (aged 69) |
| Genres | Cabaret |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | c. 1920–c. 1965 |
Leslie Arthur Julien Hutchinson, known as "Hutch" (7 March 1900 – 18 August 1969), was one of the biggest cabaret stars in the world during the 1920s and 1930s.
Born in Gouyave, Grenada, in 1900 to George Hutchinson and Marianne (née Turnbull), Hutch took piano lessons as a child.
He moved to New York City in his teens, originally to study for a degree in medicine as he had won a place due to his high aptitude, and began playing the piano and singing in bars.
In New York City, Hutch joined a black band led by Henry "Broadway" Jones, who often played for white millionaires such as the Vanderbilts, attracting the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1924 Hutch left America for Paris, where he had a residency in Joe Zelli's club and became a friend and lover of Cole Porter.
Encouraged by Edwina Mountbatten, he came to England in 1927 to perform in a Rodgers and Hart musical, and soon became the darling of society and the population in general. Hutch was a favourite singer of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII). Hutch was one of the biggest stars in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s, and was, for a time, the highest paid star in the country. He was regularly heard on air with the BBC. One of his greatest hits was "These Foolish Things".
In spite of his popularity, Hutch could not escape racial prejudice:
Hutch recorded several of Cole Porter's songs, including "Begin the Beguine" and Porter's list song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)", to which he supposedly made up some 70 new verses.
...
Wikipedia