May Singhi Breen
May Singhi Breen (née May W. Singhi ; February 24, 1891, New York City – 19 December 1970, New York City) was an American composer, arranger, and ukulelist, who became known as "The Original Ukulele Lady." Her work in the music publishing business spanned several decades. Breen was the driving force in getting the ukulele accepted as a musical instrument by the American Federation of Musicians. In 2000, she became the first woman inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 24, 1891 (New York City), Died December 19, 1970
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1932
Roles Represented in DAHR: ukulele, composer, lyricist, songwriter, banjo, vocalist, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 70 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-30153 | 10-in. | 6/2/1924 | Ukulele blues | International Novelty Orchestra | Orchestra | composer, instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-31728 | 10-in. | 1/16/1925 | Sudanaby | May Singhi Breen Trio | Instrumental trio | composer, instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-31729 | 10-in. | 1/16/1925 | I never knew how much I loved you | May Singhi Breen Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-32053 | 10-in. | 3/4/1925 | The time will come | Vernon Dalhart | Male vocal solo, with violin, guitar, and ukulele | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-32055 | 10-in. | 3/4/1925 | He sure can play the harmonica | Vernon Dalhart | Male vocal solo, with violin, guitar, and ukulele | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-32225 | 10-in. | 3/19/1925 | What a life (When no one loves you) | Gene Austin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | B-32431 | 10-in. | 4/15/1925 | Let it rain | Gene Austin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-33092 | 10-in. | 7/22/1925 | Ukulele lesson | May Singhi Breen ; Vaughn De Leath ; Peter De Rose | Ukulele instruction, with female vocal solo and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-33093 | 10-in. | 7/22/1925 | Ukulele lesson | May Singhi Breen ; Vaughn De Leath ; Peter De Rose | Ukulele instruction, with female vocal solo and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-34103 | 10-in. | 11/30/1925 | Five foot two, eyes of blue (Has anybody seen my girl) | Gene Austin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele and piano (takes 3-6); with orchestra (takes 1 and 2) | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-34139 | 10-in. | 12/11/1925 | Sleepy time girl | Gene Austin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-34300 | 10-in. | 1/6/1926 | Where is my Rose of Waikiki | The Revelers | Male vocal quartet, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-35865 | 10-in. | 9/11/1926 | Broken hearted Sue | Brox Sisters | Female vocal trio, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-35904 | 10-in. | 7/8/1926 | Yukel mit sein yukeleile | Bessie Weissman | Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-35905 | 10-in. | 7/8/1926 | Oi, gevald, ve derlebt men dus | Bessie Weissman | Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-36075 | 10-in. | 8/30/1926 | No one but you knows how to love | Evelyn Preer | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-36076 | 10-in. | 8/30/1926 | What does my honeydew do? | Evelyn Preer | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-36077 | 10-in. | 8/30/1926 | Bye bye blackbird | Evelyn Preer | Female vocal solo, with ukulele and piano | instrumentalist, ukulele | |
| Victor | BVE-36886 | 10-in. | 10/30/1926 | No one but you knows how to love | Jack Smith | Male vocal solo, with 2 pianos | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-39109 | 10-in. | 8/24/1927 | Marvelous | Johnny Marvin | Male vocal solo, with clarinet, cornet, and piano | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-39314 | 10-in. | 8/9/1927 | Marvelous | Parisian Red Heads | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-39580 | 10-in. | 8/24/1927 | Marvelous | Ted Weems Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-73905 | 10-in. | 11/2/1932 | Back in the old Sunday school | Pickens Sisters | Female vocal trio, with instrumental quartet | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-73979 | 10-in. | 11/22/1932 | I'm sure of everything but you | May Singhi Breen ; Peter De Rose ; Peter De Rose Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet | vocalist | |
| Victor | BS-73980 | 10-in. | 11/22/1932 | A boy and a girl were dancing | Peter De Rose Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Breen, May Singhi," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107747.
Breen, May Singhi. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107747.
"Breen, May Singhi." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Breen, May Singhi - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97874187
Wikidata: May Singhi Breen - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16006716
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/179149106254368491961
MusicBrainz: May Singhi Breen - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b23267dd-7c2c-4e49-a966-3d95ef366ffe
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