Jeanne Ellison Butcher (May 25, 1925 – April 9, 2007) was born in Knoxville at Riverside-Ft. Sanders Hospital. Showing an early affinity for music, she sang 200 songs she heard on the radio when she was 2 and, by age 3, sang in public for civic groups and family members’ weddings, covered by The Knoxville Sentinel.

In 1929, Jeanne sang often on WNOX, which had its studio on the top floor of the Andrew Johnson Hotel. As her family moved around the area, she had a daily radio show and sang in theatres in Indiana and West Virginia. She also had a radio show at WBHS in Huntsville, Alabama.

Back in Knoxville, Jeanne was often at WNOX. She sang on two regular radio programs each week, including Little Red Riding Hood, and was the Hunger-Dunger Singer for Cumberland Club Coffee. Swan’s Bakery sponsored her as Little Red Riding Hood, providing a costume and putting her image on their cookie wrappers. The company’s loyalty program had kids save the wrappers for gifts.

When Jeanne turned 6 and 7, thousands of children came to her birthday parties at the Swan factory grounds and at the Tennessee Theatre on Gay Street.

A standard feature at the Tennessee, she stood on stage and sang between the serial and the movie, and sometimes she sat on top of the Mighty Wurlitzer organ, singing as it came up out of the orchestra pit. She said that sitting on the organ as it rose out of the basement was a special treat. At age 8, she sang on a local radio show, and Gene Autry heard her. He invited her to come to California with him and sing in cowboy movies, but her mother declined.

At age 11, Paul Whiteman — known as the “King of Jazz” — overheard her practicing and offered her a five-year contract with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, during which she and her mother traveled by train with the full cast and crew to cities all over the United States. Some musicians she sang with were Bix Beiderbecke, Henry Busse, Bing Crosby, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Johnny Mercer.

In 1937, opera singer Grace Moore arranged for Jeanne to appear on the Lux Radio Theatre, on stage with Moore, Cecil B. DeMille, Basil Rathbone, and Edward Arnold. Jeanne sang Estrellita (Little Star). TAMIS posted it online  here.

Also in 1937, Jeanne’s mother took her to watch the filming of a Hollywood movie, which led to Jeanne’s being cast in a Jeanette MacDonald movie. Jeanne played MacDonald’s character as a young girl, with two songs in The Girl of the Golden West. Nelson Eddy, Buddy Ebsen, Leo Carillo, Walter Pidgeon, and Monty Woolley were also featured in the film.

But Jeanne longed to “go back home and be a regular girl,” so she did.

Jeanne as a teenager

As a regular girl, Jeanne earned a Ph.D. in sacred music, taught at the college level, and played the organ at her church in Montgomery, Alabama.

This story was sent to KTT by Deanne Charlton.

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