Ruth Etting
Ruth Etting (November 23, 1896 – September 24, 1978) was an American singer and actress of the 1920s and 1930s, who had over 60 hit recordings and worked in stage, radio, and film. Known as "America's sweetheart of song", her signature tunes were "Shine On, Harvest Moon", "Ten Cents a Dance" and "Love Me or Leave Me". As a young girl in Nebraska, Etting had wanted to become an artist; she drew and sketched all the time. At sixteen, her grandparents decided to send her to art school in Chicago. While Etting attended class, she found a job at the Marigold Gardens nightclub; after a short time there, Etting gave up art classes in favor of a career in show business. Etting, who enjoyed singing in school and church, never took voice lessons. She quickly became a featured vocalist at the club. Etting was then managed by Moe Snyder, whom she married in 1922. Snyder made arrangements for Etting's recording and film contracts as well as her personal and radio appearances. She became nationally known when she appeared in Flo Ziegfeld's Follies of 1927. Etting intended to retire from performing in 1935, but that did not happen until after her divorce from Snyder in 1937. Harry Myrl Alderman, Etting's pianist, was separated from his wife when he and Etting began a relationship. Snyder did not like seeing his former wife in the company of other men and began making telephone threats to Etting in January 1938. By October, Snyder traveled to Los Angeles and detained Alderman after he left a local radio station; he forced the pianist to take him to the home of his ex-wife at gunpoint. Saying he intended to kill Etting, Alderman, and his own daughter, Edith, who worked for Etting, Snyder shot Alderman. Three days after Alderman was shot, his wife filed suit against Etting for alienation of affection. While Alderman and Etting claimed to have been married in Mexico in July 1938, Alderman's divorce would not be final until December of that year. The couple married during Moe Snyder's trial for attempted murder in December 1938. Etting and Alderman relocated to a farm outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they were out of the spotlight for most of the rest of their lives. Her fictionalized story was told in the musical film Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) with Doris Day as Ruth Etting and James Cagney as Snyder. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 23, 1896 (David City), Died September 24, 1978 (Colorado Springs)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1924 - 1937
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, songwriter, composer, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-100 of 163 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W147711 | 10-in. | 12/17/1928 | Love me or leave me | Ruth Etting | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist | |
Columbia | W147779 | 10-in. | 1/14/1929 | You're the cream in my coffee | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Columbia | W147780 | 10-in. | 1/14/1929 | To know you is to love you | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Columbia | W147781 | 10-in. | 1/14/1929 | Glad rag doll | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Columbia | W147955 | 10-in. | 2/11/1929 | I'll get by (As long as I have you) | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148029 | 10-in. | 3/11/1929 | Button up your overcoat | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148030 | 10-in. | 3/11/1929 | Mean to me | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148193 | 10-in. | 4/8/1929 | Deep night | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148194 | 10-in. | 4/8/1929 | Maybe—who knows? | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter, vocalist | |
Columbia | W148404 | 10-in. | 5/2/1929 | The one in the world | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148405 | 10-in. | 5/2/1929 | I'm walking around in a dream | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148562 | 10-in. | 5/26/1929 | Maybe—who knows? | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W148701 | 10-in. | 6/14/1929 | I want to meander in the meadow | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148702 | 10-in. | 6/14/1929 | Now I'm in love | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | 148776 | 10-in. | 7/2/1929 | Maybe—who knows? | Tom Frawley ; Golden Gate Orchestra [California Ramblers] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | [W]148807 | 10-in. | 7/12/1929 | Maybe—who knows? | The Harmonians [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Columbia | W148905 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | Ain't misbehavin' | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W148906 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | At twilight | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W149098 | 10-in. | 10/4/1929 | What wouldn't I do for that man! | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W149099 | 10-in. | 10/4/1929 | The right kind of man | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist | |
Columbia | W149412 | 10-in. | 11/12/1929 | More than you know | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist | |
Columbia | W149413 | 10-in. | 11/12/1929 | A place to call home! | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | vocalist, songwriter | |
Columbia | W149705 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | If he cared | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | W149706 | 10-in. | 12/10/1929 | Crying for the Carolines | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist | |
Columbia | W150062 | 10-in. | 3/4/1930 | Ten cents a dance | Ruth Etting | Female vocal solo | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Etting, Ruth," accessed April 27, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103913.
Etting, Ruth. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 27, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103913.
"Etting, Ruth." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 27 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ruth Etting
Discogs: Ruth Etting
Allmusic: Ruth Etting
IMDb: Ruth Etting
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Etting, Ruth, 1897-1978 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82152295
Wikidata: Ruth Etting - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q456051
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/13666459
MusicBrainz: Ruth Etting - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7ed7918b-f559-40dd-869d-bd8c1a825866
ISNI: 0000 0001 1488 0668 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000114880668
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