Edythe Wright
American singer
title: "Edythe Wright" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1916-births", "1965-deaths", "new-brunswick-high-school-alumni", "people-from-highland-park,-new-jersey", "people-from-wall-township,-new-jersey", "musicians-from-new-brunswick,-new-jersey", "rutgers-university-alumni", "american-women-jazz-singers", "american-jazz-singers", "20th-century-american-singers", "20th-century-american-women-singers", "new-jersey-democrats"] description: "American singer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edythe_Wright" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American singer ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Edythe Wright |
| image | Edythe Wright.jpg |
| background | solo_singer |
| birth_date | |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Point Pleasant, New Jersey |
| genre | Jazz, swing |
| occupation | Singer |
| years_active | 1935–1943 |
| associated_acts | Tommy Dorsey |
| :: |
| name =Edythe Wright | image = Edythe Wright.jpg | background = solo_singer | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = Point Pleasant, New Jersey | genre = Jazz, swing | occupation = Singer | years_active = 1935–1943 | associated_acts = Tommy Dorsey
Edythe Wright (August 16, 1916 – October 27, 1965) was an American singer who performed from 1935 to 1939 with the band led by Tommy Dorsey.
Early life
Wright grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey.
Early career
Wright debuted on radio in March 1935, singing with Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Trio. That performance led to her becoming the singer in the Sunset Room of the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. By the end of that month, she was also singing "7 to 10 presentations a week" on WOR radio. She sang with Frank Crum's orchestra in the Sunset Room and later performed with Lennie Hayton's orchestra. In May 1935, while singing with Crum's orchestra, she made six recordings for Brunswick Records.
Wright's early exposure on network radio came via appearances with the orchestras of Frank Dailey and Joe Haymes. She won the job with Dailey out of 500 women who auditioned, enabling her to be heard six nights a week on CBS. Her network debut came on August 31, 1935, when she sang with Dailey's orchestra from the Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.
Big Band era
Wright became the first female singer with Dorsey's band after he left the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra to start his own group. Her career spanned from September 1935 through August 1939.
Wright's acquaintance with an executive at Brown & Williamson tobacco company helped to secure a radio program for the Dorsey band. She was a fixture on radio (Jack Pearl Show).
Post-Dorsey era
After Wright left Dorsey's group, she had a solo singing act. In September 1940, she was joined by Ruth Lowe, forming a new act that debuted in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1943, she starred on Victory Caravan, a variety show on radio station WIP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Personal life
She married John T. Smith. They had a son, Patrick.
Death
Wright died of pancreatic cancer at the Point Pleasant Hospital on October 27, 1965.
References
- U.S. Census 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930
- Rose Shiffman, "The Edythe Wright Story" AfterBeat Summer 1972
- Peter Levinson, Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way
References
- (May 1938). "What Do You Want to Know?". Radio Mirror.
- (1996–2005). "Solid! Edythe Wright". Parabrisas.
- (March 24, 1935). "Edythe Wright, Local Girl, Radio's Newest Sensation". The Central New Jersey Home News.
- (May 12, 1935). "New Laurels: Edythe Wright Makes 6 Brunswick Records in One Week". The Central New Jersey Home News.
- (May 10, 1936). "Edythe Wright Soon to Be America's Leading Feminine Singer, Says Tommy Dorsey". The Central New Jersey Home News.
- (August 12, 1935). "Edythe Wright With CBS Radio Orchestra". The Central New Jersey Home News.
- (August 29, 1935). "Park Girl Will Make Air Debut Saturday". The Central New Jersey Home News.
- (2010). "A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers". Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
- (2009). "Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way, A Biography". Da Capo Press.
- (May 7, 1937). "Edythe Wright". Des Moines Tribune.
- (September 28, 1940). "Ruth Lowe, Edythe Wright Form Act".
- (March 20, 1943). "Program Reviews: 'Victory Caravan'".
- (June 24, 1962). "Edythe Wright Says Dorsey Was 'Sentimental Gentleman'". Asbury Park Press.
- (October 27, 1965). "Edythe Wright Dead; Singer With Dorsey". The Central New Jersey Home News.
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