Lillyn Brown

Lillyn Brown (born Lillian Thomas; April 24, 1885 – June 8, 1969), sometimes credited as Lillyan Brown, was an American singer, vaudeville entertainer and teacher who claimed to have been "the first professional vocalist to sing the blues in front of the public", in 1908. She was billed as "The Kate Smith of Harlem" and "The Original Gay 90's Gal".

Biography Brown was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 24, 1885, as Lillian Thomas. She was the daughter of an African-American mother and a French father. She was light-skinned, and "some black friends said that they did not realize she was a Negro until she told them." often credited as E. L. Brown to disguise her gender. She developed an act in which she wore a top hat and tails, sang several songs as a man, and then revealed her long hair and continued singing as a woman. She claimed to be the first professional vocalist to sing the blues before a public audience, in performances at the Little Strand Theatre in Chicago in 1908. They were then reissued under different names by other record labels: Maude Jones on Medallion Records, Fannie Baker on Oriole Records, and Mildred Fernandez on Regal Records. She operated an acting and singing school in Manhattan during the 1950s and taught at the Jarahal School of Music in Harlem.

Broadway Sing Out the News (1938) Regina (1949) Kiss Me, Kate, revival (1952)