Vaughn De Leath

Vaughn DeLeath, although forgotten today, was a household name in the 1920s. She was born in Mt. Pulaski, IL, in 1894 (according to her birth certificate -- most sources say 1896) and her origins in show business are obscure. However in 1921, she was in on the ground floor of radio, singing in Chicago over WJZ. DeLeath's success on the air in the earliest days of radio was largely due to her endurance; able to accompany herself on banjo, ukulele, guitar, and piano, DeLeath could literally entertain for hours at a time when there was an excess of programming time and scant mate...