People named Mabel Mercer

MABEL MERCER Mabel Mercer (3 February 1900 – 20 April 1984)] was an English-born cabaret singer who performed in the United States, Britain, and Europe with the greats in jazz and cabaret. She was a featured performer at Chez Bricktop in Paris, owned by the hostess Bricktop, and performed in such clubs as Le Ruban Bleu, Tony's, the RSVP, the Carlyle, the St. Regis Hotel, and eventually her own room, the Byline Club. Among those who frequently attended Mercer's shows was Frank Sinatra, who made no secret of his emulating her phrasing and story-telling techniques. Early life Mercer was born on 3 February 1900 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Her mother was a young, white English music hall performer, and her father was a black American musician who died before she was born. At the age of 14, she left her convent school in Manchester, and toured Britain and Europe with her aunt in vaudeville and music hall engagements. Her precise vocal styling was believed to be the result of diction training while a student at the convent. Career In 1928, she was an unknown member of the black chorus in the London production of Show Boat, but she had become the toast of Paris by the 1930s, with admirers who included Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter. When World War II broke out, she traveled to America to sing in the finest supper clubs in New York City. Her recording career began in 1942, with an album of selections from Porgy and Bess on the elite Liberty Music Shops label, featuring piano accompaniment by Cy Walter. Over the following decades, Mercer made many concert appearances across the U.S. In the late 1960s, she gave two concerts with Bobby Short at Town Hall in New York City. Both were released by Atlantic Records: Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short at Town Hall, in 1968, (Atlantic SD 2-604) and Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short Second Town Hall Concert, in 1969 (Atlantic SD 2-605). In 1969, she made two appearances on the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Her original and reissued albums are collector's items. Atlantic Records reissued four of her early LPs in a boxed set in 1975, in honor of her 75th birthday. She was awarded Stereo Review Magazine's first Award for Merit, for her lifetime achievement and for "outstanding contributions to the quality of American musical life." This award was officially renamed the Mabel Mercer Award in 1984. Late career When Mercer returned on 4 July 1977 for her first performance in England in 41 years, the BBC filmed three evenings' performances and later broadcast it in a week-long late-night television program, a BBC first for an entertainer. In 1978, "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's," her 1956 album on Atlantic, was praised as "one of the best recordings of the past twenty years" (although it was more than 20 years old at the time) by Stereo Review. That same year, Mercer played at San Francisco's Club Mocambo to sold-out audiences, in celebration of her 78th birthday. In 1982. Mercer teamed up with her dear friend Eileen Farrell in concert as part of the Kool Jazz Festival. Farrell often said it was the one unlicensed record she wished she had. Honors In January 1981, she was honored by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York with "An American Cabaret," the only musical event of its kind at that point in the museum's history. Mercer was the first guest on Eileen Farrell's new program featuring great popular singers, on National Public Radio. Mercer received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian medal, in 1983. When President Ronald Reagan presented it to her in a ceremony at the White House, he called her "a singer's singer" and "a living testament to the artfulness of the American song". She also received two honorary Doctor of Music degrees: one from Boston's Berklee College of Music, the other from the New England Conservatory of Music. Death Mabel Mercer died on 20 April 1984, aged 84, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and is buried at Red Rock Cemetery near Chatham (town), New York. The Mabel Mercer Foundation In 1985, the Mabel Mercer Foundation was established with the efforts of her long-time friend and professional associate Donald F. Smith. This not-for-profit arts organization was formed to keep Mercer's memory alive, and to contribute to the art of cabaret performing by supporting artists and providing information resources. Its international activities include the debut of the London Cabaret Convention in 2004. The Foundation produced Noël Coward's 100th birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall, and also has a Young Person's Series to introduce young people to The Great American Songbook of popular classics. Filmography Live concerts 1990: View Video VHS: Mabel Mercer: A Singer's Singer (reissued 2005 on DVD) 1991: View Video VHS: Mabel Mercer: An Evening with Mabel Mercer (a.k.a. Cabaret Artist "Now and Always") (as yet unissued on DVD) As actress 1936: Tropical Trouble 1936: Everything Is Rhythm 1961: The Sand Castle Discography 1942: Porgy and Bess (3x10" 78-rpm set with Cy Walter & Todd Duncan; three songs by Mabel) c. 1945: You Better Go Now (unreleased private recording) 1953: Songs by Mabel Mercer, Vol. 1 1953: Songs by Mabel Mercer, Vol. 2 1953: Songs by Mabel Mercer, Vol. 3 (Written Especially For Her) 1955: Mabel Mercer Sings Cole Porter 1956: Midnight at Mabel Mercer's 1958: Once in a Blue Moon 1960: Merely Marvelous Mabel Mercer 1964: Mabel Mercer Sings 1965: The Art of Mabel Mercer (2x12" reissue of three 1953 10" Songs by Mabel Mercer LPs with one added track) 1968: At Town Hall (live recording, with Bobby Short) 1969: Second Town Hall Concert (live recording, with Bobby Short) 1974: For Always (reissue of 1964 Mabel Mercer Sings) 1975: A Salute to Mabel Mercer on her 75th Birthday (4x12" reissue of four 1955–60 LPs in commemorative box) 1980: Echoes of My Life (her final studio recordings) 2002: Previously Unreleased Live Performances (Legendary Performers)

Mabel Mercer of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California was born on August 23, 1891, and died at age 82 years old in December 1973.

Mabel Mercer of Quartzsite, La Paz County, Arizona was born on March 25, 1888, and died at age 96 years old in February 1985.

Mabel Mercer of California was born on July 13, 1888, and died at age 83 years old in July 1971.

Mabel Mercer of Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana was born on April 11, 1890, and died at age 92 years old in August 1982.

Mabel Mercer of Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa was born on June 15, 1883, and died at age 93 years old in August 1976.

Mabel M Mercer of Hinckley, Pine County, MN was born on June 1, 1937, and died at age 72 years old on May 14, 2010.

Mabel Mercer of San Antonio, Bexar County, TX was born on April 25, 1919, and died at age 75 years old on April 17, 1995.

Mabel Mercer was born on October 31, 1938, and died at age 33 years old in October 1972. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Mabel Mercer.

Mabel T Mercer of Nocona, Montague County, TX was born on July 6, 1909, and died at age 87 years old on April 13, 1997.

Mabel C Mercer of Ten Mile, Meigs County, TN was born on March 22, 1918, and died at age 92 years old on April 3, 2010.

Mabel Mercer was born on January 23, 1913, and died at age 78 years old on November 30, 1991. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Mabel Mercer.

Mabel G Mercer of Novi, Oakland County, MI was born on May 23, 1915, and died at age 80 years old in May 1995.

Mabel Mercer of Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan was born on December 24, 1902, and died at age 83 years old in January 1986.

Mabel Mercer of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida was born on November 14, 1896, and died at age 90 years old in March 1987.

Mabel Mercer of Brandon, Hillsborough County, FL was born on March 3, 1907, and died at age 86 years old on January 5, 1994.

Mabel Mercer of Sandoval, Marion County, Illinois was born on August 8, 1892, and died at age 87 years old in July 1980.

Mabel C Mercer of Wellston, Jackson County, OH was born on August 31, 1905, and died at age 94 years old on January 2, 2000.

Mabel Mercer of Pioneer, Williams County, Ohio was born on March 1, 1896, and died at age 87 years old in May 1983.

Mabel V Mercer of Manassas, Manassas City County, VA was born on November 5, 1915, and died at age 91 years old on January 20, 2007.

Mabel Mercer of Georgetown, Georgetown County, South Carolina was born on November 15, 1882, and died at age 92 years old in November 1974.

Mabel Mercer of Crofton, Christian County, KY was born on January 12, 1920, and died at age 82 years old on February 22, 2002.

Mabel Loretta Mercer of Fontana, San Bernardino County, California was born on July 31, 1916, and died at age 92 years old on August 1, 2008.

Mabel R Mercer of Manchester, Adams County, OH was born on September 3, 1922, and died at age 81 years old on May 19, 2004.

Mabel Mercer of Jackson, Jackson County, OH was born on February 6, 1915, and died at age 81 years old on July 24, 1996.

Mabel Mercer of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA was born on October 28, 1906, and died at age 71 years old in October 1977.

Mabel Mercer of West Chester, Chester County, PA was born on March 4, 1904, and died at age 68 years old in March 1972.

Mabel G Mercer was born on October 2, 1903, and died at age 86 years old on August 29, 1990. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Mabel G Mercer.

Mabel Mercer of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA was born on February 4, 1891, and died at age 89 years old in October 1980.