Clarice Vance
Encyclopedia
Clarice Vance née Clara Etta Black (March 14, 1870 - August 24, 1961), "The Southern Singer" was an American
vaudeville
personality from the late 19th century to about 1917.
in 1870. She began her career in farce comedy in the early 1890s and was such a hit singing the songs interpolated into plot that she quickly won fame, singing ragtime and dialect songs as a single. When she performed with the James and Bonnie Thornton troop, he coined her, 'The Southern Singer'.
She married "Mose" Gumble, head of Remick Music Publishing in New York, in 1904, but divorced him in 1914. Moses Gumble was a well known song writer along with his brother, Albert but is remembered today as the man who gave George Gershwin
his first job plugging songs at Remick. According to the 1900 census, this well known marriage was preceded by a marriage to William A. Sims who served briefly as her manager and according to the New York Clipper she was granted a divorce from John Blanchard in early early 1904. This was quickly followed by her marriage to Moses Gumble.
Recent research into Ohio Pike county census records indicate that Clarice's mother's name was Mary Vance, solving the riddle of her stage name. Her middle name was actually, "Etta" not Ella. This was confirmed by Sterling Morris after obtaining a copy of the original notice in Variety of her marriage to Mose Gumble in 1904.
The NY Times archives reveal that Clarice Vance later married Phelps Decker, a screen scenario writer and for a short time, manager in the NY offices of Universal Pictures. His services were terminated in early 1928 (see Onoto Watanna, The Story of Winnifred Eaton by Diana Birchall, University of Illiois Press, 2001) and discovered by his wife, "former vaudeville actress Clarice Vance" to have asphyxiated himself on Feb. 5th, 1928 in their apartment at 35 E. 15th St. NY. He was 16 years junior to Miss Vance.
", singing popular negro dialect songs of the day. She was a handsome woman, slightly over 6' tall and so could project over a 26 piece orchestra
when she sang on the stage. She shared the bill with the leading headliners of the day and her impish face appears on dozens of sheet music covers from 1897 - 1914. Her picture appeared in Vanity Fair
at one point and in 1910 she starred in a short lived but lavish Broadway
musical called A Skylark. She played at least three extended engagements in London, the most successful being a 26 week appearance at the London Palace in 1909.
Her records exhibit a rare, radiant and very droll wit. She recorded for Edison Records
in 1905 (two selections) and from 1906-1909 for Victor
. Her most popular song was "Mariar" co-written by her husband and she recorded three versions of it.
In August 2010, Clarice Vance biographer, Sterling Morris had a phone interview with a woman who actually knew Clarice Vance. Phyllis McCoy of Santa Clara, California was Clarice Vance's young apartment neighbor in the mid-40's. They became good friends. Today Ms. McCoy's sharp memory recalls a woman, witty, intelligent and kind with a wonderful speaking voice. She remembered Clarice as elderly but sturdy and tall with a "regal carriage", careful with her appearance and very private, "seemed to have few if any visitors outside of immediate neighbors." Ms. McCoy had heard that Clarice Vance had once been an entertainer and had found a couple of her recordings, finally asking her to autograph the labels, but "Clarice demurred and mumbled something about it 'all being in the past', and immeditately changed the subject". She never did sign the records or evidence any interest in revisiting or sharing any of her theatrical memories.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
personality from the late 19th century to about 1917.
Early life and marriage
Clarice Vance, The Southern Singer was born in OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1870. She began her career in farce comedy in the early 1890s and was such a hit singing the songs interpolated into plot that she quickly won fame, singing ragtime and dialect songs as a single. When she performed with the James and Bonnie Thornton troop, he coined her, 'The Southern Singer'.
She married "Mose" Gumble, head of Remick Music Publishing in New York, in 1904, but divorced him in 1914. Moses Gumble was a well known song writer along with his brother, Albert but is remembered today as the man who gave George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
his first job plugging songs at Remick. According to the 1900 census, this well known marriage was preceded by a marriage to William A. Sims who served briefly as her manager and according to the New York Clipper she was granted a divorce from John Blanchard in early early 1904. This was quickly followed by her marriage to Moses Gumble.
Recent research into Ohio Pike county census records indicate that Clarice's mother's name was Mary Vance, solving the riddle of her stage name. Her middle name was actually, "Etta" not Ella. This was confirmed by Sterling Morris after obtaining a copy of the original notice in Variety of her marriage to Mose Gumble in 1904.
The NY Times archives reveal that Clarice Vance later married Phelps Decker, a screen scenario writer and for a short time, manager in the NY offices of Universal Pictures. His services were terminated in early 1928 (see Onoto Watanna, The Story of Winnifred Eaton by Diana Birchall, University of Illiois Press, 2001) and discovered by his wife, "former vaudeville actress Clarice Vance" to have asphyxiated himself on Feb. 5th, 1928 in their apartment at 35 E. 15th St. NY. He was 16 years junior to Miss Vance.
Career
Vance was known as a "coon singerCoon song
Coon songs were a genre of music popular in the United States and around the English-speaking world from 1880 to 1920, that presented a racist and stereotyped image of blacks.-Rise and fall from popularity:...
", singing popular negro dialect songs of the day. She was a handsome woman, slightly over 6' tall and so could project over a 26 piece orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
when she sang on the stage. She shared the bill with the leading headliners of the day and her impish face appears on dozens of sheet music covers from 1897 - 1914. Her picture appeared in Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
at one point and in 1910 she starred in a short lived but lavish Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical called A Skylark. She played at least three extended engagements in London, the most successful being a 26 week appearance at the London Palace in 1909.
Her records exhibit a rare, radiant and very droll wit. She recorded for Edison Records
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
in 1905 (two selections) and from 1906-1909 for Victor
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
. Her most popular song was "Mariar" co-written by her husband and she recorded three versions of it.
Later life
Vance's life after 1923 is shrouded in mystery. In the early 20's she appeared briefly in movies in character parts and slid into total oblivion, but according to the 1935 California voters registration she was living in San Francisco, listing her profession as 'dramatic coach' and residing at 1043 Bush St.. From 1944-1951, the once brilliant and popular comedienne lived in a rooming house at 1535 Pine Street in San Francisco. From 1951 until her death in 1961 she was a resident of the State Mental Hospital in Napa, California and died there at 91 years of age knowing only her name and that she was "an actress". She died friendless, penniless and unknown. She is buried as "31" in the indigent section of St. Helena Cemetery in Napa Valley.In August 2010, Clarice Vance biographer, Sterling Morris had a phone interview with a woman who actually knew Clarice Vance. Phyllis McCoy of Santa Clara, California was Clarice Vance's young apartment neighbor in the mid-40's. They became good friends. Today Ms. McCoy's sharp memory recalls a woman, witty, intelligent and kind with a wonderful speaking voice. She remembered Clarice as elderly but sturdy and tall with a "regal carriage", careful with her appearance and very private, "seemed to have few if any visitors outside of immediate neighbors." Ms. McCoy had heard that Clarice Vance had once been an entertainer and had found a couple of her recordings, finally asking her to autograph the labels, but "Clarice demurred and mumbled something about it 'all being in the past', and immeditately changed the subject". She never did sign the records or evidence any interest in revisiting or sharing any of her theatrical memories.
External links
- Clarice Vance cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization ProjectCylinder Preservation and Digitization ProjectThe Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries with streaming and downloadable versions of over 10,000 phonograph cylinders manufactured between 1893 and the mid 1920s.- History :The project began...
at the University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraThe University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
Library. - Discography of Clarice Vance on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR) - Clarice Vance, "The Southern Singer" at tinfoil.com
- Vance sings "Mariar" Edison Cylinder #9051, August 1905. Real player at tinfoil.com
- InternetArchive selection of Clarice Vance recordings, Mariar(1905), Goodbye To Johnnie(1909), Im Wise(1907), Save Your Money 'cause the Winter Am Coming On(1906)