Billy Tipton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Tipton
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Tipton, c. 1966
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 29, 1914 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 1989 (aged 74) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, talent agent |
| Instruments | Piano, Saxophone |
| Years active | 1936–late 1970s |
| Labels | Tops |
Billy Lee Tipton (December 29, 1914 – January 21, 1989) was a talented American jazz musician. He was also a bandleader and helped other musicians find work. Billy Tipton lived as a man for most of his adult life. After he passed away, his friends and family were surprised to learn he was assigned female at birth.
Billy Tipton's music career started in the mid-1930s. He led a band for radio shows. He played in many dance bands during the 1940s. In the mid-1950s, he recorded two albums with his trio. Later, he worked as a talent agent, helping other artists. Tipton stopped performing in the late 1970s because of arthritis.
Contents
Early Life and Music
Billy was born Dorothy Lucille Tipton in Oklahoma City on December 29, 1914. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was four, and his aunt raised him.
As a high school student, Billy was called "Tippy." He became very interested in music, especially jazz. He learned to play the piano and saxophone. At Southwest High School, he couldn't join the all-male band. For his last year of high school, he moved back to Oklahoma. There, he joined the school band at Connors State College High School.
Around 1933, Billy started presenting himself in a masculine way. As he began a more serious music career, he decided to live as a male musician. He adopted the name Billy Lee Tipton. By 1940, Billy was living as a man in his private life too.
Music Career
Starting Out
In 1936, Billy Tipton led a band that played on KFXR radio. In 1938, he joined Louvenie's Western Swingbillies. This band played on radio station KTOK and had a regular show at Brown's Tavern. In 1940, he toured the Midwest with Scott Cameron's band. They played at dances.
In 1941, he performed for two and a half years. He played at the Joplin, Missouri, Cotton Club with George Meyer's band. After that, he toured with the Ross Carlyle Band. He then played music in Texas for two years.
In 1949, Tipton toured the Pacific Northwest with Meyer. Their tour was not fancy, but some of their shows were recorded. These recordings include songs like "If I Knew Then" and "Sophisticated Swing." The trio's most famous song was "Flying Home." They played it in a style similar to pianist Teddy Wilson and Benny Goodman's band.
As George Meyer's band became more popular, they got more jobs. They performed at the Boulevard Club in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. They shared the stage with famous groups like The Ink Spots.
Leading His Own Band
In 1951, Billy Tipton started playing piano alone. He performed at the Elks Club in Longview, Washington. In Longview, he formed the Billy Tipton Trio. The trio included Dick O'Neil on drums and Kenny Richards (later Ron Kilde) on bass. The group became very popular in the area.
In 1956, the trio was performing in Santa Barbara, California. A talent scout from Tops Records heard them play. This led to a record contract for the band. The Billy Tipton Trio recorded two albums of jazz standards for Tops. These albums were called Sweet Georgia Brown and Billy Tipton Plays Hi-Fi on Piano. Both were released in early 1957.
The albums included songs like "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and "Willow Weep for Me." In 1957, the albums sold 17,678 copies. This was a good number for a small record company.
In 1958, the trio was offered a job as the main band at the Holiday Hotel casino in Reno, Nevada. They were also asked to open for the famous musician Liberace. Tops Records also wanted the trio to record four more albums. Tipton turned down both offers. He chose to move to Spokane, Washington. There, he worked as a talent agent, and his trio performed weekly.
In the late 1970s, Tipton's arthritis got worse. This made him unable to play music anymore, so he retired.
Personal Life
Billy Tipton was never legally married. However, five women considered themselves his wife during his life. In 1934, Tipton began living with a woman named Non Earl Harrell. This relationship ended in 1942.
Tipton later had a relationship with a singer known as "June." This lasted for several years. For seven years, Tipton lived with Betty Cox. She remembered Tipton as "the most fantastic love of my life." In 1954, their relationship ended.
He then started a relationship with a woman named Maryann. They moved to Spokane, Washington, in 1958. Maryann later said that in 1960, she found out Tipton was involved with a dancer named Kathleen "Kitty" Kelly.
Tipton and Kelly started living together in 1961. They adopted three sons: John, Scott, and William. These adoptions were not officially recognized by law. After they separated around 1977, Tipton resumed his relationship with Maryann. Maryann reportedly found Tipton's birth certificate once. She asked him about it, but he gave her a "terrible look" and no answer.
After His Death
In 1989, Billy Tipton had health problems. He thought it was from a lung condition caused by heavy smoking. He refused to call a doctor. He was actually suffering from a bleeding stomach ulcer, which was very serious. On January 21, 1989, his son William called for emergency help. While paramedics tried to save Tipton's life, they discovered he was assigned female at birth. His son William also learned this at that time.
This information was a big surprise to almost everyone. This included the women who thought they were his wives, his sons, and the musicians he had worked with. Later, after being offered money by the media, Kitty Kelly and one of their sons shared the story publicly. The first newspaper article came out the day after Tipton's funeral. The story quickly spread to many newspapers. Stories about him appeared in various papers, including National Enquirer and People. Members of Tipton's family also appeared on talk shows.
Tipton left two wills. One was handwritten and not officially witnessed, leaving everything to William Jr. The second was officially witnessed, leaving everything to John Clark, the first child the Tiptons adopted. A court decided that the first will was valid. William inherited almost everything, while John and Scott received one dollar each. Later, a court decided that all three sons would share equally in Kitty Tipton's estate. After lawyer fees, each son received $35,000. Two of his adopted sons changed their names after learning about Tipton's assigned gender. They felt that Tipton had not been truthful with them.
Works Inspired by Billy Tipton
- Stevie Wants to Play the Blues is a play based on Tipton's life. It was written by Eduardo Machado.
- "The Legend of Billy Tipton" is a song by the punk rock band The Video Dead. It tells Billy Tipton's story.
- Soita minulle Billy (Call me Billy) is a Finnish play. Joanna Haartti played Tipton in this play.
- The Slow Drag (1996) by Carson Kreitzer is a "jazz cabaret." It has a live band and a character named Johnny Christmas, who is based on Tipton.
- Trumpet is a 1998 novel by Jackie Kay. It tells the story of a fictional Scottish jazz musician named Joss Moody, inspired by Tipton.
- The Tiptons Sax Quartet is a jazz saxophone quartet. They were previously known as The Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet. Their name was inspired by Tipton.
- A musical called A Girl Named Bill stars Nellie McKay. It tells Billy Tipton's story.
- No Ordinary Man is a documentary film about Tipton. It premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Images for kids
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Tipton (center) with the trio
