Elizabeth Lennox

American singer

Elizabeth Lennox

Elizabeth Lennox, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress

Born| March 16, 1894

Ionia, Michigan

Died| May 3, 1992

Fairfield, Connecticut

Other names| Louise Terrell, Elizabeth Lennox Hughes
Occupation| Singer

Elizabeth Lennox (March 16, 1894 – May 3, 1992), also known as Louise Terrell, was an American contralto singer. She made over 150 musical recordings in the 1920s, on the Brunswick, Edison, Victor, and Columbia labels.

## Early life

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Elizabeth Lennox was born in Ionia, Michigan the daughter of Lambert E. Lennox and Hester Anna Tyrell Lennox.[1] Her parents were from Canada. Her father was a Methodist clergyman,[2] and her older sister Olive Lennox was a pianist who sometimes accompanied her.[3][4] She graduated from the Cosmopolitan School of Music in Chicago.[5] Her father's work meant that she lived in various towns as a child; she counted Benton Harbor, Michigan as one of her hometowns.[6]

## Career

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Lennox began her professional singing career as a church soloist in Chicago, and in New York.[5][7][8] She sang mainly in concert and oratorio programs,[9][10] and made over 150 recordings in the 1920s, on the Brunswick, Edison, Victor, and Columbia labels.[11][12] Some of her recordings were made under the name "Louise Terrell" (using a variation on her mother's maiden name).[13] She explained that making recordings helped her hear her own voice and find where improvements were needed.[14] "People may try to flatter you by saying you are singing perfectly," she said, "but the record certainly shows up every little imperfection in a wonderful way."[15]

Lennox also taught voice in Michigan, as a young woman.[2][3] She and accompanist Ann Straton Miller made a national concert tour during the 1921–1922 season.[16] In the 1930s she often performed on radio programs, including on the American Album of Popular Music,[17] and in a regular weekly slot on CBS Radio's "Broadway Varieties" show.[5][18][19]

After she retired from professional performance in the 1940s, she was program committee chair of the South Shore Music Club, a women's club in Connecticut,[20] and was executive vice-president of the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.[21]

## Personal life

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Lennox was tall, "distinctly the type for whom tailored clothes were made," according to a 1937 profile.[5] She married George Percival Hughes, an advertising executive, in 1922.[22] Their son David Gratton Hughes was born in 1926.[23][24] Her husband died in 1967,[25] and she died in 1992, aged 98 years, in Fairfield, Connecticut. Her son became a musicologist on the faculty at Harvard University.[26] Her granddaughter Catherine E. C. Hughes was a television news reporter and an Emmy-nominated filmmaker.[27][28]

## References

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1. ^ "Rev. Lennox, Ex-Sister City Pastor, is Dead". The Herald-Press. 1934-03-01. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b "Contemporary American Musicians, No. 283: Elizabeth Lennox". Musical America. 38 (12): 15. July 14, 1923 - via Internet Archive.
3. ^ a b "Elizabeth Lennox". Music News. 8 (2): 30. November 10, 1916.
4. ^ "Plan April Homecoming for Two Brilliant Lennox Sisters". The Herald-Palladium. 1927-02-16. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ a b c d Arell, Ruth (March 27, 1937). "No Glamor Girl is She!". Radio Guide: 4–5 - via Internet Archive.4-5&rft.date=1937-03-27&rft.aulast=Arell&rft.aufirst=Ruth&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/radio-guide-1937-03-27/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22Elizabeth+Lennox%22+singer&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+Lennox" class="Z3988">
6. ^ "Gifted Singer 'Comes Home' Next Tuesday". The Herald-Palladium. 1923-05-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox Won Spurs Against Disheartening Odds". Musical America. 33 (7): 44. December 11, 1920 - via Internet Archive.
8. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox under New Management". Musical Courier. 81 (10): 16. September 2, 1920 - via Internet Archive.
9. ^ "Frederic Warren Ballad Concert". Musical Courier. 82 (7): 41. February 17, 1921 - via Internet Archive.
10. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox with Lowell Choral Society". Musical Courier. 82 (7): 54. February 17, 1921 - via Internet Archive.
11. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
12. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
13. ^ Moanin' Low: A Discography of Female Popular Vocal Recordings, 1920-1933. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1996. pp. 328–330\. ISBN 978-0-313-29241-5.328-330&rft.pub=Greenwood+Publishing+Group&rft.date=1996&rft.isbn=978-0-313-29241-5&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=YpWIfGgSpR8C&dq;=%22Louise+Terrell%22+%22Elizabeth+Lennox%22&pg;=PA328&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+Lennox" class="Z3988">
14. ^ "Lennox Declares Phonograph a Post Graduate Course in Vocal Training". Musical Courier. 84 (14): 58. April 6, 1922 - via Internet Archive.
15. ^ "'Corrective Criticism of Priceless Value' says Elizabeth Lennox". Musical Courier. 80 (7): 42. February 12, 1920 - via Internet Archive.
16. ^ D.J.T. (January 14, 1922). "Carrying Musical Classics to the Oil Country". Musical America. 35 (12): 30 - via Internet Archive.
17. ^ Cox, Jim (2003-05-21). Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory: The Programs and Personalities of Broadcasting's Most Prolific Producers. McFarland. pp. 51–52\. ISBN 978-0-7864-1631-8.51-52&rft.pub=McFarland&rft.date=2003-05-21&rft.isbn=978-0-7864-1631-8&rft.aulast=Cox&rft.aufirst=Jim&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJP2VwJf9icC&dq;=%22Elizabeth+Lennox%22+Connecticut+music&pg;=PA52&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+Lennox" class="Z3988">
18. ^ Banner, Jack (September 14, 1935). "Broadway Varieties". Radio Guide: 4–5 - via Internet Archive.4-5&rft.date=1935-09-14&rft.aulast=Banner&rft.aufirst=Jack&rft_id=https://archive.org/details/radio-guide-1935-09-14/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22Elizabeth+Lennox%22+&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Elizabeth+Lennox" class="Z3988">
19. ^ Dunning, John (1998-05-07). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 122\. ISBN 978-0-19-977078-6.
20. ^ Sherman, Robert (1978-06-04). "Music: 45 Golden Years". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
21. ^ Pascone, Tere (1954-10-31). "Symphony Workers Push Drive for Goal of 1,000 Subscriptions". The Bridgeport Telegram. p. 63. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
22. ^ "Eminent Singer a Bride". The South Bend Tribune. 1922-06-01. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
23. ^ "A Son to Elizabeth Lennox". Musical Courier. 93 (6): 11. August 5, 1926 - via Internet Archive.
24. ^ "Elizabeth Lennox Hughes is Mother Son Born Today". The Herald-Press. 1926-07-02. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
25. ^ "George P. Hughes". The Bridgeport Post. 1967-06-28. p. 91. Retrieved 2022-09-24 - via Newspapers.com.
26. ^ "David Grattan Hughes, 88". Harvard Gazette. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
27. ^ WCAX News Team (August 1, 2022). "Channel 3′s Catherine Hughes remembered as tough, no-nonsense reporter". WCAX. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
28. ^ "In person: Catherine Hughes". Rutland Herald. 23 November 2002. Retrieved 2022-09-24.

## External links

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* Elizabeth Lennox singing "Abide with Me" with Marie Tiffany in 1920, on Internet Archive
* Louise Terrell singing "Don't You Remember the Time?" with Charles Hart in 1920, on Internet Archive
* Elizabeth Lennox singing "I Cannot Sing the Old Songs" in 1924, on Internet Archive