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Vaughn De Leath

Vaughn De Leath (September 26, 1894 – May 28, 1943) was an American female singer who gained popularity in the 1920s, earning the sobriquets "The Original Radio Girl" and the "First Lady of Radio." Although very popular in the 1920s, De Leath is obscure in modern times.

De Leath was an early exponent, and often credited as inventor, of a style of vocalizing known as crooning. One of her hit songs, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," recorded in 1927, achieved fame when it became a hit for Elvis Presley in 1960.

Birth and Death Data: Born Mount Pulaski (city in Logan County, Illinois, United States), Died May 28, 1943 (Buffalo (city and county seat of Erie County, New York, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1940

Roles Represented in DAHR: contralto, composer, lyricist, songwriter, speaker, piano, vocalist

Notes: Also sings in the soprano range. Sometimes used pseudonym "Angelina Marco" and is sometimes referred to and/or billed as "The Radio Girl."

See Also: De Leath, Vaughn

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 351-375 of 375 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Edison N-449 12-in. 9/21/1928 Little yaller dog Vaughn De Leath ; Muriel Pollock Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-713 10-in. 1/21/1929 Me and the man in the moon Vaughn De Leath ; Muriel Pollock Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-714 10-in. 1/21/1929 Happy days and lonely nights Vaughn De Leath ; Muriel Pollock Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-788 10-in. 3/13/1929 When I'm walkin' with my sweetness (Down among the sugar cane) Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-789 10-in. 3/13/1929 I'm "ka-razy" for you Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-859 10-in. 4/17/1929 Some sweet day Vaughn De Leath ; Muriel Pollock Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-860 10-in. 4/17/1928 I've got a feeling I'm falling Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-861 10-in. 4/17/1929 I got a "code" in my "doze" Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-894 10-in. 5/14/1929 Honey Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-895 10-in. 5/14/1929 Reaching for someone (And not finding anyone there) Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-923 10-in. 5/28/1929 Birmingham Bertha Lucky Strike Orchestra ; B. A. Rolfe Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-924 10-in. 5/28/1929 Am I blue? Lucky Strike Orchestra ; B. A. Rolfe Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-955 10-in. 6/13/1929 I'd fall in love with me (if I were you) Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars and piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-956 10-in. 6/13/1929 My dear Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with 2 guitars and piano vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-1085 10-in. 8/27/1929 Waiting at the end of the road Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-1164 10-in. 9/27/1929 Back in the hills of Kentucky Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, contralto  
Edison N-1165 10-in. 9/27/1929 Through? How can you say we're through? Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble vocalist, contralto  
Gennett 8803 10-in. 3/26/1924 Lazy Vaughn De Leath ; Peter Lawson Orchestra Female vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, contralto  
Gennett 8804 10-in. 3/21/1924 Waiting for you Vaughn De Leath ; Peter Lawson Orchestra Female vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, contralto  
ARC 9004 10-in. 9/10/1929 Satisfied Vaughn De Leath ; William Wirges Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo vocalist, contralto  
ARC 22281 10-in. 1/12/1938 Now they call it swing Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter  
Plaza 5837 10-in. 2/28/1928 When my sugar walks down the street Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with ukulele vocalist, contralto  
Plaza 5957 10-in. April 1925 All aboard for heaven Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo vocalist, contralto  
Plaza 8533 10-in. 2/8/1929 I faw down an' go boom Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, contralto  
Plaza 8534 10-in. 2/8/1929 I'm ka-razy for you Vaughn De Leath Female vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, contralto  
(Results 351-375 of 375 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "De Leath, Vaughn," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100849.

De Leath, Vaughn. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100849.

"De Leath, Vaughn." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100849

External Sources

Wikipedia: Vaughn De Leath

Discogs: Vaughn De Leath

Allmusic: Vaughn De Leath

Grove: Vaughn De Leath

IMDb: Vaughn De Leath

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: De Leath, Vaughn - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2003125409

Wikidata: Vaughn De Leath - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q446915

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/75699310

MusicBrainz: Vaughn De Leath - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/46b65ac4-3e7d-4449-a6c7-000b12efc5ee

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/498716 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/498716

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