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Bee Palmer

Beatrice C. "Bee" Palmer (11 September 1894 – 22 December 1967) was an American singer and dancer born in Chicago, Illinois.

Palmer first attracted significant attention as one of the first exponents of the "shimmy" dance in the late 1910s. She was sometimes credited as the creator of the "shimmy" (although there were other claimants at the time as well).

She first appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1918.

She toured with an early jazz band, which included such notables as Emmett Hardy, Leon Ropollo and Santo Pecora in addition to pianist/songwriter Al Siegel (whom Palmer married). The band was called "Bee Palmer's New Orleans Rhythm Kings". With some personnel changes, the Rhythm Kings went on to even greater fame after parting ways with Palmer.

In 1921, an alleged affair with boxing champ Jack Dempsey created a scandal and a lawsuit.

Palmer is credited as co-composer of the pop song standard "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone".

She made a few recordings which were not issued at the time. One was a session with Frankie Trumbauer that featured Palmer performing vocalese on the Bix Beiderbecke and Trumbauer solos on Singin' the Blues to lyrics by Ted Koehler. Thanks to surviving test pressings/masters, the recordings were finally issued in the 1990s and 2000s.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 11, 1894 (Chicago), Died December 22, 1967

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1918 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor [Trial 1918-05-15-02] Not documented 5/15/1918 When Alexander takes his ragtime band to France Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor [Trial 1919-01-13-01] Not documented 1/13/1919 After you've gone Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor [Trial 1919-01-13-02] Not documented 1/13/1919 I'm the jazz baby Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor [Trial 1925-07-14-01] 10-in. 7/14/1925 I'll see you in my dreams Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with violin and piano vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor [Trial 1925-07-14-02] 10-in. 7/14/1925 Sweet Georgia Brown Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with violin and piano vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor [Trial 1928-05-10-01] 10-in. 5/10/1928 I'm coming, Virginia Bee Palmer Female vocal solo vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia 77869 10-in. 6/3/1918 At half-past nine Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia W147770 10-in. 1/10/1929 Don't leave me, daddy Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia W147771 10-in. 1/10/1929 Singin' the blues Bee Palmer Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, soprano vocal  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Palmer, Bee," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107697.

Palmer, Bee. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107697.

"Palmer, Bee." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107697

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