Lucy Monroe

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Lucy Monroe
Background information
Born(1906-10-23)October 23, 1906
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 13, 1987(1987-10-13) (aged 80)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
GenresPatriotic music, folk music
Occupations
  • Singer
  • dancer
Years active1925-1960s

Lucy Monroe (October 23, 1906 – October 13, 1987) was an American operatic soprano and dancer. She was noted for her performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States, which she performed for Presidents and at sporting and military events, which earned her the nickname of "The Star-Spangled Soprano".[1]

Early life[edit]

Monroe was born on October 23, 1906, in Manhattan, New York; she was the only child of Anna Laughlin, an actress, and Dwight Monroe, a gem merchant. Dwight met Anna when she performed the role of Dorothy Gale in the Broadway production of The Wizard of Oz.[2] On her father's side, she was a descendant of James Monroe.[3]

Monroe graduated from the Horace Mann School, where she was a member of the glee club. Her father did not want her to pursue a career in music, but after he died in 1925, her mother encouraged Monroe's ambitions.[2] She pursued further studies in singing with Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of Beverly Sills, in New York City.[4]

Career[edit]

Monroe began her career in 1925 as a dancer for the Ziegfeld Follies and also became a backup singer.[1][2] In the 1930s, she appeared on The American Album of Familiar Music. NBC offered Monroe's services to the American Legion for their 1937 convention.[5] This would be her first professional performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States.[6] She sang the national anthem again at President Franklin D. Roosevelt's birthday ball at the Waldorf Astoria New York in January 1938.[7]

Monroe became the official soloist for both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.[8] She also began to perform at the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic.[9][10] She was the star of The American Jubilee, a show at the 1939 New York World's Fair; each of its 650 performances ended with Monroe singing the national anthem,[8] earning her the nicknames "The Star-Spangled Soprano"[11] and "The Star-Spangled Banner Girl".[6] By 1942, it was estimated that she had performed the anthem 1,500 times.[12] In an interview with Bennett Cerf in the 1950s, she estimated that she had by then performed it over 5,000 times.[13]

During World War II, Monroe traveled to United States Army camps on USO tours[11] and sang at war bond rallies. She performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the National Symphony Orchestra at Constitution Hall in March 1941 to celebrate its 10th anniversary as the national anthem.[14] RCA Victor named her its director of patriotic music and she embarked on a coast-to-coast tour to promote patriotic and folk music.[15] In 1942, she led a sing-along of the national anthem with 40,000 attendees at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.[8] She visited Fort McHenry in September 1944 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of "The Star-Spangled Banner".[16] Monroe sang the national anthem at the second inauguration of President Harry S. Truman in 1949.[17] In 1958, she testified before the House Judiciary Committee that was tasked with choosing an official version of the national anthem out of the 171 on record at the Library of Congress.[18]

Monroe sang the national anthem for Opening Day at Yankee Stadium annually from 1945 through 1960 and also at World Series games hosted at Yankee Stadium during that time.[8] She performed the national anthem in 1949 for the unveiling of a monument to Babe Ruth in Monument Park.[19] She also continued traveling to Europe and North Africa on USO tours,[20] and went to Korea in 1953.[21] The family of Ed Barrow, former president of the Yankees, invited her to sing "Abide with Me" at his funeral in 1953.[22] She also sang the national anthem at the ceremony preceding the start of the demolition of Ebbets Field on February 23, 1960.[23]

Personal life[edit]

Monroe married Harold Weinberg, an attorney, in August 1961.[24] They were married until his death in 1977. Monroe died in Manhattan from cancer on October 13, 1987, 10 days before her 81st birthday.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Scaduto, Anthony (October 17, 1987). "Lucy Monroe, Star-Spangled Soprano". Newsday. p. 15. ProQuest 277818186. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  2. ^ a b c Vitty, Cort. "Lucy Monroe". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Wednesday's Concert Artist Descendant of James Monroe". The Evening Herald. November 27, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Dean Fowler, Alandra (1994). Estelle Liebling: An exploration of her pedagogical principles as an extension and elaboration of the Marchesi method, including a survey of her music and editing for coloratura soprano and other voices (PhD). University of Arizona.
  5. ^ Legion, American (1937). "The American Legion 19th National Convention: official program, 1937". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ a b Folkart, Burt A. (October 17, 1987). "Obituaries: Lucy Monroe; Singer Noted for 'Star-Spangled Banner'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Birthday Ball Here One of 15,000 Fetes". The New York Times. January 30, 1938. ProQuest 102537352. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ a b c d e Belkin, Lisa (October 16, 1987). "Lucy Monroe Dies; A Celebrated Singer Of National Anthem". The New York Times. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  9. ^ "LUCY MONROE SINGS IN WHITE MOUNTAINS; Soprano of Metropolitan Opera Appears at Final Event of Summer Festival". The New York Times. August 30, 1937. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "MUSIC IN REVIEW; Lucy Monroe Is Soloist With Philharmonic-Symphony at Lewisohn Stadium-Charles O'Connell Conducts City Amateur Orchestra". The New York Times. July 23, 1939. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Blanck, Katherine (January 19, 1942). "She Sings For Our Soldiers: Lucy Monroe, The Star Spangled Soprano, Loves to Do It". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 9. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Lucy Monroe, the 'Star-Spangled Soprano,' Has Sung Anthem 1,500 Times in 5 Years". The New York Times. January 22, 1942. p. 14. ProQuest 106244618. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  13. ^ Cerf, Bennett (January 3, 1954). "The Star-Spangled Girl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ McIntyre, R.D. (March 30, 1941). "Flawless Recording Given Tschaikowsky No. 3 Symphony". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 29. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Lucy Monroe Plans Tour: Singer Will Stimulate Interest in Folk and Patriotic Music". The New York Times. July 6, 1941. p. 28. ProQuest 106051988. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  16. ^ "Army Post Hears Anthem at Dawn". Spokane Chronicle. Associated Press. September 14, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Joe Kvapil Describes Inaugural Ceremonies at Washington, D.C." The Plattsmouth Journal. February 10, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Lucy Monroe for Shift: Singer Asks Congress Make Anthem Easier to Sing". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 22, 1958. p. 23. ProQuest 114458344. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ "Unveil Ruth Memorial At Stadium Tuesday". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 15, 1949. p. 16. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Lucy Monroe Going Overseas". The New York Times. December 18, 1952. p. 41. ProQuest 112421788. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  21. ^ "Lucy Monroe Going to Korea". The New York Times. May 21, 1953. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  22. ^ "Sports World Pays Barrow Tribute: Funeral for Ex-President of Yankees Also Attended by Civic, Business Leaders". The New York Times. December 20, 1953. p. 76. ProQuest 112675322. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  23. ^ Corrigan, Ed (February 24, 1960). "Historic Ebbets Field Starts Coming Down". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 25. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Star-Spangled Fiancee". The Miami News. August 27, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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