[Dixielandjazz] Louise Tobin exhibit

[Robert Ringwald]

Louise Tobin exhibit

At 92 Years Old, a North Texas Jazz Singer Still Shines
by Jessica Harp
Pegasus News (Dallas/Fort Worth), April 19, 2010

Many people in the jazz and swing culture know of the greats: Louis Armstrong, Ella
Fitzgerald, and Benny Goodman, to name a few. But here in North Texas, we've got
our own rare jewel, and she's lived to tell her story.
Decades ago, Louise Tobin was a voice to be recognized. But as jazz and swing fell
to the wayside for rock and roll, her music and memory were forgotten.
A little more than a year ago, the director of grants and contracts at Texas A&M
University at Commerce unearthed this exceptional story to the delight of music communities
both in North Texas and all over the country. Dr. Deborah Porter brought Tobin's
beautiful voice and memory back for many years to come in the form of an exhibit
currently on loan at The Women's Museum in Fair Park.
The exhibit opened over the weekend and included a special discussion with Tobin
herself. She also signed copies of her first compilation CD, a chronology of her
career in music, which features many tracks that have never been heard.
The exhibit features photos, memorabilia, and other personal items such as the dress
she wore when she performed for Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Swing enthusiasts
and jazz lovers can discover details unknown to the public about Tobin's influence
on the music community.
Tobin was born in 1918 and spent her childhood in Denton, where she won a singing
contest at the young age of 13. As she was too young to travel to New York City and
compete further, Tobin performed in Dallas and the surrounding areas with the Interstate
Theater Circuit. It was after one of her performances with Art Hicks a few years
later that she met her first husband, Harry James, who would one day become a well-known
bandleader.
While living in New York City with James, Tobin performed at such places as Nick's
in Greenwich Village with Bobby Hackett, as well as Carnegie Hall. One night before
a casual gig, she was listening to the radio and suggested that her husband listen
to the man singing. Thanks to her suggestion, her husband went to hear the young
man, who was a singing waiter in New Jersey at the time. Her husband signed him immediately.
That man was Frank Sinatra.
In 1939, Tobin auditioned for Benny Goodman, the King of Swing himself, who instantly
recognized her incredible talent and singing ability. She then became a featured
singer for Goodman and his orchestra. While touring with Goodman's band, she became
a member of the first band to take flight on a commercial airline.
After her divorce from James in 1943, Tobin moved back to Denton from Hollywood.
Nearly 20 years later -- after years out of the spotlight -- she was asked to come
back to New York and record with George Simon. It was that meeting where Tobin was
asked to perform with the great Louis Armstrong at the Newport Jazz Festival. There
she met Peanuts Hucko, a renowned clarinet player and the man of which she would
marry in 1967.
Today, Tobin says she lives for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren,
of which she often referred to during her appearance at The Women's Museum. She says
she's "just lucky to be here" to see her accomplishments in the jazz and swing community
come to light. At 92, Tobin has no grief about the changing state of music -- which
is so different than when she was in the spotlight. Tobin looks upon music positively,
bringing her a life she says includes living in the moment and living fully. She
does so with style and grace.


--Bob Ringwald
Amateur (ham) Radio call sign K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
916/806-9551

Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?