One of my favorite girl singers of the late 1920's and early 1930's is the beautiful and talented Irene Taylor. Biographical information about Ms. Taylor is scarce, but she had a successful career on Broadway and on the radio. She was also the first female singer hired by orchestra leader and "King of Jazz" Paul Whiteman. Taylor's 1928 recording of "Mississippi Mud" with the Whiteman Orchestra, featuring a hot cornet solo by Bix Beiderbecke, is considered a jazz classic.
Taylor also scored a 1933 hit as a vocalist with Whiteman with the song "Willow Weep For Me," now an American standard. Taylor was married to pianist/singer/bandleader Seger Ellis, and during the late 1930's she recorded several sides with Ellis' orchestra, that were released both as commercial recordings and radio transcriptions.
As far as I know, Irene Taylor's only film appearance is this July 1934 Vitaphone short entitled Listening In. It was part of a series of film shorts that featured performances by popular radio stars of the era -- the only way for audiences to actually see their favorite stars sing! Ms. Taylor sings the Dave Franklin song, "I Ain't Lazy, I'm Just Dreamin'".
Here is Irene Taylor with Bix Beiderbecke and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra performing "Mississippi Mud," recorded Feb. 18, 1928:
Download Paul Whiteman - Mississippi Mud.mp3
Here is Irene Taylor singing with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra on Nov. 17, 1932:
