Rosa Rio
| Rosa Rio | |
|---|---|
Rosa Rio at the Brooklyn Fox (1933–34), started her career as a silent film accompanist
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| Born |
Elizabeth Raub June 2, 1902 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | May 13, 2010 (aged 107) Sun City Center, Florida |
| Occupation | Organist, Producer, Arranger |
| Years active | 1909–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | Bill Yeoman (1947- 2010 her death) |
Rosa Rio (June 2, 1902 – May 13, 2010) was the stage name of the American theater and motion picture organist, who was known for production and arrangement. beginning her career as a silent film accompanist. She became a leading organist on network radio for soap operas and dramas. She continued to perform until the age of 107, becoming one of the oldest performers in the music industry. She provided silent film soundtrack accompaniment for such performers as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
Rio was born as Elizabeth Raub and raised in New Orleans. She began playing piano at the age of four and started taking lessons at the age of eight. At age nine she played piano at a silent movie theater for the first time. She studied music at Oberlin College and at the Eastman School of Music. Her instrument of choice was a Wurlitzer pipe organ. She married her professor at Eastman, organist John Hammond; they had a son, John Hammond III, who preceded her in death. The marriage ended in divorce. She later married Bill Yeoman, her husband of 63 years. She had three grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and a pet snail named Iowa.
Bill Yeoman, her husband, said that Raub adopted the stage name of Rosa Rio because it fitted easily on a theater marquee.
As a theater organist, Rio performed in Syracuse, at Loews theaters in New York City, at the Saenger Southeastern theater chain, the Scranton Paramount, Brooklyn Fox Theatre, RKO Albee, and the Brooklyn Paramount. She was working at the Saenger Theatre in her hometown of New Orleans when Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer was released, signaling the end of the silent film era. Among the films she composed for and provided accompaniment for include The Phantom of The Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the seminal The Birth Of A Nation
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