Frances Faye
Encyclopedia
Frances Faye was an American
cabaret
and show tune
singer and pianist. She was born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn
, New York City
. She was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye
.
film; Double or Nothing
singing "After You". She wrote the song "Well All Right" recorded by the Andrews Sisters
. Faye made her solo recording debut in 1936. Her act became famous for including double entendre
s and references to homosexuality
and lesbianism. Faye herself was bisexual
and hinted at this frequently in her act; she would often playfully alter pronouns in love songs or weave her girlfriend's name into lyrics of song. For instance, she inserted "it's a Teri, Teri day" into "The Man I Love" and on national television sang "why do all the boys treat Teri so right" in "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate."
She recorded about a dozen albums for many different record label
s, including Capitol Records
and Imperial Records
and jazz labels Verve Records
and Bethlehem Records
.
's 2001 film Chop Suey.
During in the 1960s, Faye suffered a number of health related problems brought on by a hip accident in 1958. She nevertheless continued to tour into the early 1980s. Peter Allen
credited her as a major influence and had Faye sing the vocals on the track "Just a Gigolo
(Schoner Gigolo)" on his 1974 album, Continental American
.
She returned to film in 1978, playing an elderly cocaine-sniffing madam
in the Louis Malle
film Pretty Baby. She retired shortly afterwards. At the time of her death in 1991, aged 79, she was still living with Shepherd.
| NAME = Faye, Frances
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Cohen, Frances (birthname)
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 4, 1912
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
| DATE OF DEATH = November 8, 1991 (aged 79)
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
and show tune
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
singer and pianist. She was born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
.
Career
Born as Frances Cohen, Faye's showbiz career began at the age of 15 in nightclubs where she first became a star. She appeared in one Bing CrosbyBing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
film; Double or Nothing
Double or Nothing (1937 film)
Double or Nothing is a 1937 musical comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Martha Raye, Andy Devine, Mary Carlisle, William Frawley, Samuel S. Hinds, and Frances Faye. The most famous song from the film is "The Moon Got In My Eyes".-Plot synopsis:...
singing "After You". She wrote the song "Well All Right" recorded by the Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
. Faye made her solo recording debut in 1936. Her act became famous for including double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s and references to homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and lesbianism. Faye herself was bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and hinted at this frequently in her act; she would often playfully alter pronouns in love songs or weave her girlfriend's name into lyrics of song. For instance, she inserted "it's a Teri, Teri day" into "The Man I Love" and on national television sang "why do all the boys treat Teri so right" in "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate."
She recorded about a dozen albums for many different record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, including Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
and jazz labels Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
and Bethlehem Records
Bethlehem Records
Bethlehem Records was a record label based in New York and Hollywood founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. It was bought by King Records in the early 1960s....
.
Personal life
Faye was married twice in the 1940s. In the late 1950s, a woman named Teri Shepherd became her manager and lifelong partner. Shepherd discussed her relationship with Faye in Bruce WeberBruce Weber (photographer)
Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone...
's 2001 film Chop Suey.
Arrest
Faye was arrested in 1955 on a narcotics charge in Los Angeles; police asserted that she and the three men arrested at the same time possessed marijuana.During in the 1960s, Faye suffered a number of health related problems brought on by a hip accident in 1958. She nevertheless continued to tour into the early 1980s. Peter Allen
Peter Allen
Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
credited her as a major influence and had Faye sing the vocals on the track "Just a Gigolo
Just a Gigolo (song)
"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci and Julius Brammer .-History:...
(Schoner Gigolo)" on his 1974 album, Continental American
Continental American
Continental American is the third studio album by Peter Allen, released in 1974. The album was his first for A&M Records, and is notable for the inclusion of Allen's version of his co-authored hit for Olivia Newton-John, among others, "I Honestly Love You"....
.
She returned to film in 1978, playing an elderly cocaine-sniffing madam
Madam
Madam, or madame, is a polite title used for women which, in English, is the equivalent of Mrs. or Ms., and is often found abbreviated as "ma'am", and less frequently as "ma'm". It is derived from the French madame, which means "my lady", the feminine form of lord; the plural of ma dame in this...
in the Louis Malle
Louis Malle
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...
film Pretty Baby. She retired shortly afterwards. At the time of her death in 1991, aged 79, she was still living with Shepherd.
Singles
- "No Regrets" / "You're Not the Kind of a Boy" (Decca - 1936)
- "Boogie Woogie Washer Woman" / "Return to Sorrento" (International - 1946)
- "Personality" / "Drunk with Love & Purple Wine" / "Well All Right" (International - 1946)
- "All That Glitters Is Not Gold" / "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" (International - 1946)
- "Night and Day" / "Tweet Tweet Tweetheart" (Capitol #2224 - ca. 1953)
- "She Looks" / "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" (Capitol #2278 - ca. 1953)
- "My Last Affair" / "On a Raft in the Middle of an Ocean" (Capitol #2347 - ca. 1954)
- "There's a Bell That Rings in My Heart" / "A Fool in Love" (Capitol #2390 - ca. 1954)
- "Sometimes I'm Happy" / "I Was Wrong About You" (Capitol #2472 - ca. 1954)
- "The Dummy Song" / "Uh-Huh" (Capitol #2542 - ca. 1954)
- "Hey, Mister" / "Sorry Baby" (Capitol #2604 - ca. 1954)
- "Summertime" / "Mad About the BoyMad About the BoyDinah Washington's 1952 recording of "Mad about the Boy" is possibly the most widely known version of the song in modern times. The 6/8-time arrangement for voice and jazz orchestra by Quincy Jones omits two verses and was recorded in the singer's native Chicago on the Mercury label.Washington's...
" (Capitol #2842 - ca. 1955) - "Somebody Loves Me" / "Lonesome Road" (Bethlehem 45-11002 - 1958)
- "It's You I Love" / "My Blue HeavenMy Blue Heaven (song)"My Blue Heaven" is a popular song written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by George A. Whiting. It has become part of various fake book collections....
" (Imperial #5546 - 1959) - "Sweet Georgia BrownSweet Georgia Brown"Sweet Georgia Brown" is a jazz standard and pop tune written in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey .The tune was first recorded on March 19, 1925 by bandleader Ben Bernie, resulting in a five-week No. 1 for Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra...
" / "You're Heavenly" (Regina R-1322)
Albums
- Frances Faye (International, 1946)
- No Reservations (Capitol, T522 - 1953)
- I'm Wild Again (Bethlehem BCP, 23 - 1955)
- Relaxin' With Frances Faye (Bethlehem BCP, 62 - 1956)
- Porgy and Bess (Bethlehem 3-LP Set with Mel TormeMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, 1956) - Frances Faye Sings Folk Songs (Bethlehem BCP, 6017 -1957)
- Frances Faye Swings Fats Domino (Imperial LP, 9059 -1959)
- Frances Faye Sings the Blues (Imperial LP, 9158 - 1960)
- Caught in the Act (GNP 41, 1959) Live recording at the Crescendo with Jack CostanzoJack CostanzoJack Costanzo is an American percussionist.-Biography:A composer, conductor and drummer, Costanzo is best known as a bongo player, and is nicknamed "Mr. Bongo"...
- Caught in the Act, Vol. 2 (GNP, 1959) Live recording at the Thunderbird, Las Vegas
- Frances Faye in Frenzy (Verve, 1961)
- Swinging All the Way With Frances Faye (Verve V-2147, 1962)
- You Gotta Go! Go! Go! (Regina LP R 315 - 1964)
- Bad, Bad Frances Faye (Bethlehem - 1976; reissue I'm Wild Again with cover art from Relaxin' With Frances Faye)
Filmography
- Double or Nothing (1937)
- Pretty Baby (1978)
- Chop Suey Club (2001) archival clips and interviews
External links
- The New Fabulous Frances Faye Archive
- Frances Faye on glbtq.comGlbtq.comglbtq.com is an online encyclopedia that presents detailed biographies of notable gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. It was named one of the "Best Free Reference Web Sites" in 2005 by the American Library Association....
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEBD26nqDbM
| NAME = Faye, Frances
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Cohen, Frances (birthname)
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = November 4, 1912
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
| DATE OF DEATH = November 8, 1991 (aged 79)
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}