Eloise C. Uggams
American singer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eloise Colcolough Uggams (December 20, 1896 – July 14, 1972) was an American soprano singer. She was a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and appeared in Broadway musicals.
Eloise C. Uggams | |
|---|---|
Eloise C. Uggams, from a 1918 publication | |
| Born | December 20, 1896 Florida or South Carolina, US |
| Died | July 14, 1972 (aged 75) New York, US |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Known for | Member of Fisk Jubilee Singers, Broadway appearances |
| Relatives | Leslie Uggams (niece) |
Early life
Uggams was born in Florida or South Carolina (sources vary on the location), the daughter of Coyden Harold Uggams and Mamie Hughes Uggams. Her father was a Presbyterian minister.[1] She attended Fisk University.[2] She gave her senior recital in 1919.[3]
Career
Uggams sang and toured with the Fisk Jubilee Quartet with Henrietta Myers in 1918 and 1919.[2][4][5] Broadway appearances by Uggams included roles in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1928 (1928-1929, 1934),[6][7] and Rhapsody in Black (1931),[8] The Pirate (1942-1943), Run, Little Chillun (1943), and Porgy and Bess (1943, 1944, and 1953).[9] She was also in the European touring company of Porgy and Bess, with Leontyne Price, William Warfield, Cab Calloway, and a young Maya Angelou.[10] She made recordings of spirituals with Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers in 1924,[11] and with the Everyman Opera of New York in 1953.[12]
Uggams was also a dressmaker, and worked for Oleg Cassini, including on the wedding gown worn by actress Gene Tierney in 1941.[13] During World War II, she toured in the United States with the USO, and after the war, she toured as a soloist with the Eva Jessye Choir.[14]
Personal life
Uggams helped her niece, actress and singer Leslie Uggams,[9] attend Professional Children's School in New York. "We never would have been able to afford the school if it weren't for Aunt Eloise," recalled the younger Uggams.[15] Eloise Uggams died in 1972, aged 75 years, in New York.[16]
