Tess Gardella
Therese Gardella (December 19, 1894 – January 3, 1950) was an American performer on the stage and screen whose stage persona was Aunt Jemima. She was of Italian descent. She performed on both stage and screen, usually in blackface. Tess was born in Glen Lyon, Pennsylvania, to John and Louisa Gardella. She came to New York City in 1918, singing in dance halls and nightclubs and also political rallies. She died of diabetes in Brooklyn, New York, on January 3, 1950. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Wilkes-Barre (county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States), Died January 3, 1950 (Brooklyn (borough of New York City, New York, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1922 - 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal
Notes: Real name of performer Aunt Jemima.
See Also: Jemima, Aunt
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Trial 1922-05-09-01] | 10-in. | 5/9/1922 | Georgia | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1922-05-09-02] | 10-in. | 5/9/1922 | Got to cool my puppies now | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1922-05-25-01] | 10-in. | 5/25/1922 | If you don't believe I love you, look what a fool I've been | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1922-05-25-06] | 10-in. | 5/25/1922 | Georgia | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1923-08-24-01] | 10-in. | 8/24/1923 | My sweetie went away | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1924-05-22-04] | 10-in. | 5/22/1924 | New kind of man | Tess Gardella | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1927-06-21-01] | 10-in. | 6/21/1927 | Takes a better man | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W143709 | 10-in. | 3/25/1927 | (Does she love me?) Positively—absolutely | Aunt Jemima ; Mal Hallett Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W143710 | 10-in. | 3/25/1927 | My idea of heaven (Is to be in love with you) | Aunt Jemima ; Mal Hallett Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W145641 | 10-in. | 2/14/1928 | Can't help lovin' dat man | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal | |
| Columbia | W145642 | 10-in. | 2/14/1928 | Didn't I tell you (That you'd come back)? | Aunt Jemima | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, soprano vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gardella, Tess," accessed January 20, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116868.
Gardella, Tess. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/116868.
"Gardella, Tess." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 20 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Gardella, Tess, 1897-1950 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2002016239
Wikidata: Aunt Jemima - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7705565
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/29468591
MusicBrainz: Aunt Jemima - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4d6b57d7-a5c1-48bf-9316-cf3bf382f948
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1572022 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1572022
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