According to Bolton, Esther began using nonsense syllables in her singing between 1926 and her arrival in New York in 1928. īy 1924, she was being managed by Lou Bolton. In her act, "Baby Esther" danced, made funny faces, rolled her eyes, and-most famously-interpolated nonsense phrases such as "Boo-Boo-Boo", "Wha-Da-Da", and "Doo-Doo-Doo". Esther was a trained scat singer, dancer and acrobat who performed regularly at nightclubs in Harlem and all over the United States in the 1920s. She was initially managed by her parents, Gertrude and William Jones. " Baby" Esther Lee Jones, originally billed as Little, Li'l or Lil' Esther, was a child entertainer who lived in Chicago, Illinois. Other evidence introduced at the trial included a recording by the Duncan Sisters and testimony from performers such as Bonnie Poe, Margie Hines, and Little Ann Little, who testified that she had been singing in a baby voice and using interpolations such as "bo-de-o-do" for several years. An early test sound film of Baby Esther's performance was used as evidence. Fleischer trial that Kane saw Baby Esther's cabaret act in 1928, in which Esther used interpolated words such as "boo-boo-boo" and "doo-doo-doo". Theatrical manager Lou Bolton testified during the Kane v. In 1932, when singer Helen Kane sued Fleischer Studios, claiming that they had appropriated her persona for the voice of the cartoon character Betty Boop, the studios defended themselves by arguing that Kane's style of singing-characterized by her baby voice and use of the phrase "boop-boop-a-doop"-was not her own invention. After gaining attention in her hometown of Chicago, she became an international celebrity before leaving the public spotlight as a teenager. 1918, date of death unknown), known by her stage names " Baby Esther", " Little Esther", and other similar variations, was an American singer and child entertainer of the late 1920s, known for interpreting popular songs with a "mixture of seriousness and childish mischief". She is, however, mentioned in many documentaries and books about the Harlem Renaissance, and her legendary way of singing does live on in the iconic Betty Boop character.Esther Lee Jones (born c. During her entire career, she was mostly only known locally in the New York City area, and she reportedly died at a very young age. In fact, she never even really achieved mainstream success. Meanwhile, the very woman who inspired the character, Baby Esther, was never compensated in any way. It's estimated that the Betty Boop franchise generated millions of dollars in revenue from televison networks and sales of merchandise. But soon after, she was transformed into a white woman and remained so until her character was finally retired. ![]() She appeared in at least one animated scene in the popular Popeye The Sailor Man series. ![]() Initially, Betty Boop was shown in cartoons as an African American woman. That very same style was heavily imitated by the Betty Boop animated character. Her stage name was "Baby Esther", but unfortunately, when her character become the first and most famous sex symbol in animation she was whitewashed with most people having no idea where the original inspiration came from.īaby Esther had a popular cabaret act at the infamous Cotton Club in Harlem, New York where she sang with a unique vocal style that featured “boop-boop-a-doops” and other similar scat sounds. PBS has confirmed that Betty Boop, the popular cartoon character introduced to the world by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, was actually inspired by a real-life African American jazz singer and entertainer from Harlem named Esther Jones.
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