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Dinah Kaye
Dinah Kaye
Dinah Kaye
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Dinah Kaye (born Kay Cumming; 2 February 1924 – 12 September 2011) was a Scottish jazz singer. Born in Burma to Scottish parents, she spent her childhood entering singing competitions in Edinburgh and later moved to London to further her career. Kaye gained interest after performing the song "Jealous Eyes" and toured the Americas in the 1950s, before returning to London to relaunch her career. She represented the United Kingdom at the 1962 Sopot Jazz Festival, as well as touring the globe.

Biography

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Kaye was born Kay Cumming in Burma to Scottish parents on 2 February 1924.[1] She had one brother, John.[2] Her family moved back to Scotland when Kaye was five years old and settled in Edinburgh.[3] Her childhood was spent entering singing competitions and was regularly seen in Edinburgh's jazz clubs,[1] with local bands,[2] to earn money.[4] Kaye moved to London in 1943 and became the resident singer for Harry Parry and his orchestra. She toured with him for a few years before leaving the band to become a freelance artist and spent the next two years in the Netherlands.[3] After returning to London, Kaye resided at Fischer's jazz club,[1] and regularly performed at the Savoy Club, the Café de Paris. and Coconut Group. She was highly requested and sang with famous bands of the era, including Nat Allen, Cyril Stapleton, Tommy Sampson and Terry Lightfoot.[3]

Vocalist Edmundo Ros selected Kaye to record with him for Decca Records and performed the song "Jealous Eyes". The song caused much interest and Kaye signed with Decca as a solo artist. She recorded her first album for the label entitled Just Another Polka.[2] Singer Billy Daniels became interested in Kaye after listening to her album, signing her and announced plans to prepare the vocalist for her first appearance in the United States in New York City.[5] Kaye left the United Kingdom for New York City on 14 September 1953,[6] and spent the next four years in the United States, appearing alongside singer Louis Armstrong, with whom she established a friendship. She acted as supporting singer to Tony Bennett, Lena Horne and Kay Starr and travelled extensively across the country and Canada, which saw her become established in the American show business scene.[1][3]

After her four-year tour, Kaye returned to the United Kingdom and relaunched her career in London.[2] She performed in restaurants and night clubs,[3] although she had problems when she was due to sing "Please Do It Again" in January 1960; the performance was later authorised by the BBC when it became satisfied with her interpretation of its performance for broadcast on a radio programme aimed at teenagers.[7][8] Clarinettist Acker Bilk organised a party for Kaye in July 1962 before she travelled to Poland in the same month to represent the United Kingdom at the Sopot Jazz Festival. There, she sang new lyrics to the Bilk song "Stranger on the Shore", her personal selection to go alongside a Polish song and one from the United Kingdom. She was awarded a silver medal after the gig was secured for her by her agent.[3][4] Kaye toured across the globe in the 1950s and 1960s and received a positive reception wherever she performed. Her popularity meant Kaye was ranked second behind Cleo Laine in a 1965 Melody Maker Jazz Poll. She frequently broadcast on the BBC and in the countries she visited.[3]

Kaye died in Edinburgh on 12 September 2011 at the age of 87.[1]

Discography

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  • The Roaring 20's (1963)

References

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Dinah Kaye

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Dinah Kaye is a Scottish jazz and blues singer known for her prominence in the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s. Born Kay Cumming on 2 February 1924 in Burma to Scottish parents and raised in Edinburgh, she became one of the era's most popular vocalists in British jazz and blues circles. After moving to London in 1943, she sang with Harry Parry and his Radio Rhythm Club Sextet in the mid-1940s. She later spent time in the United States in the 1950s, where she appeared with Louis Armstrong (remaining friends thereafter), supported Tony Bennett, and toured extensively before returning to the UK. She performed regularly on Humphrey Lyttelton’s jazz programme and featured on BBC radio shows such as Saturday Club and Easy Beat. Back in London, she appeared in numerous up-market clubs and recorded material including the album The Roaring 20s (1963). Kaye's career spanned from the 1940s through the 1960s, establishing her as a notable figure in post-war British music scenes. She died on 12 September 2011.

Early life

Childhood and entry into music

Dinah Kaye was born Kay Cumming on 2 February 1924 in Burma (British India) to Scottish parents. She had one brother, John. When she was five years old, her family returned to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she spent her childhood. She developed an early interest in singing and participated in local singing competitions in Edinburgh as a child. These amateur experiences marked her initial entry into music, as she performed in Edinburgh jazz clubs and with local bands during her youth. In 1943, at age 19, she moved to London to pursue professional singing opportunities.

Career

Early professional years in Britain (1943–1952)

Dinah Kaye moved to London in 1943 and became the resident singer with Harry Parry and his orchestra, with whom she toured Britain for several years. After leaving Parry's band, she freelanced and spent two years performing in the Netherlands. Upon returning to London, she took up residencies and performances at prominent venues including Fischer’s jazz club, the Savoy Club, the Café de Paris, and Edmundo Ros’s Coconut Grove. She worked with several British bandleaders during this time, including Nat Allen, Cyril Stapleton, Tommy Sampson, and Terry Lightfoot. Edmundo Ros selected Kaye to provide guest vocals on his Decca recording of "Jealous Eyes". She was subsequently signed as a solo artist to Decca, where her first solo single, "Just Another Polka", was produced by Dick Rowe. Her Decca recordings caught the attention of American singer Billy Daniels, who arranged for her to come to the United States, leading to her departure for New York in September 1953.

North American period (1953–1957)

In September 1953, Dinah Kaye departed the United Kingdom for New York City on 14 September, an opportunity arranged by Billy Daniels after he took interest in her British Decca recordings. She lived and worked in the United States and Canada for the following four years, from 1953 to 1957. During this North American residency, Kaye made significant appearances alongside Louis Armstrong, establishing a lasting friendship with the renowned musician that continued throughout her time in America. She also performed in supporting roles for major artists including Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Kay Starr. Kaye undertook extensive touring across the United States and Canada, collaborating with various prominent figures in the entertainment world and building connections within American show business. These engagements enabled her to gain a solid foothold in the American jazz and performance scene during this period.

Later career and international work (1958–1965)

After returning to the United Kingdom following her four-year stint in North America, Dinah Kaye relaunched her career by performing regularly in London restaurants and nightclubs. She maintained a strong presence on BBC radio and also broadcast frequently on foreign stations in the countries she toured during this period. In 1960, the BBC reviewed and authorised her scheduled performance of "Do It Again" on a teenage programme following initial concerns over the material. In July 1962, clarinetist Acker Bilk hosted a send-off party for Kaye in London before she travelled to Poland to represent the United Kingdom at the Sopot Jazz Festival, where she performed new lyrics to the tune of "Stranger on the Shore" and received a silver salver in recognition of her appearance. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Kaye undertook international tours to South Africa, Israel, Poland, Malta, Tanzania, Rhodesia, West Germany, and Switzerland, earning positive receptions in each location. In the 1965 Melody Maker Jazz Poll (vocal category), she placed second behind Cleo Laine, reflecting her standing among British jazz audiences. Her principal period of active performance concluded around 1965, with no major verified work documented thereafter.

Recordings

Notable singles, albums, and sessions

Dinah Kaye's discography consists primarily of singles from her early career in Britain and the United States, along with a later themed album. Her first recordings were 78 rpm discs with the Harry Parry Sextet for Parlophone, including "Don’t You Know I Care" in January 1945 (R2957), "Little Grey Home In the West" on March 17, 1948 (R3166), "Blues Are Brewin’" on February 24, 1949, and "Sophisticated Lady" around 1945. She subsequently recorded for Decca in 1953, contributing "My Jealous Eyes" with the Edmundo Ros Orchestra, her first solo single "Just Another Polka", and "Part Of Your Heart" (F10171). In 1954, while working in North America, she issued two singles on RCA's "X" label: "False Hearted Lover" / "Strike A Match" (X0005) and "Butterscotch Mop" / "When Are You Coming Home, Joe" (X0074). In 1963, Kaye recorded material for The Roaring Twenties with Tubby Sykes and the Power-House 7. This was released as a four-track EP on ARC (38), featuring "The Black Bottom", "Baby Face", "Charleston", and "Miss Annabelle Lee", and as a 12-track LP on Society (SOC 913), including additional titles such as "Carolina Moon", "Dinah", "Tiger Rag", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "Somebody Stole My Gal", "Ain't She Sweet", "Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider", and "Some Of These Days".

Film and television appearances

Known credits and archive uses

Dinah Kaye's on-screen credits are limited to a few musical short films where she appeared as herself performing songs, rather than in acting roles. In the British short Jivin' & Jammin' (1948/1949, directed by Frank Gardner, 17 minutes), she sang "Honeysuckle Rose" and "These Foolish Things" accompanied by the Maurice Arnold Sextet. She also performed two vocal numbers with the Humphrey Lyttelton Band in the 1953 short Betty Slow Drag / Betty and the Gambler. Archive footage of her performances later appeared in a 2022 episode of the British television series The Footage Detectives.

Death

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