Myrtle Watkins facts for kids

Myrtle Watkins (born June 23, 1908 – died November 10, 1968) was an American-born Mexican dancer, jazz, and Latin American music singer. She was also an actress. In the United States and Mexico, she became famous as Paquita Zarate.

Early Life and First Steps in Entertainment

Myrtle Dillard was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in June 1908. She was the fifth child of Betty S. and Jasper L. Dillard. Her father owned a grocery store in Birmingham.

In mid-1925, when she was 17, Myrtle appeared in Baltimore as a dancer. She performed with her partner, Yank Brunson. The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper called her a local entertainer.

Later in 1925, she joined Eddie Lemon's Stock Company. She performed in the Who Dat? show at the Regent Theater. In early 1926, she stayed at the Regent. She was part of Lew Peyton's Brownskin Vamps.

Myrtle had her own solo dance number, performing the Charleston. During this time, she met and married Cephus Watkins, a local mechanic. Their marriage ended soon after.

The next month, she entertained at the Folly Cabaret in East Baltimore. Her Charleston dance was very popular. Weeks later, she left for Boston with the Rarin' to Go show. In 1928, she toured Boston with the Bostonian Harmony Lads, singing light blues.

A Star on the Rise: European Adventures

Joining the Blackbirds Show

In the winter of 1928, Myrtle joined the famous Blackbirds show. She met Eddie Thompson, one of the show's main dancers. Myrtle and Eddie married in New York in February 1929. This marriage was also brief.

The Blackbirds show toured the Eastern U.S. until May 1929. Then, the group traveled to France on the SS Ile de France. They performed for three months at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. The show opened on June 7 and was a huge hit. Many French stars, like Mistinguett and Maurice Chevalier, came to see it.

The Blackbirds returned to New York in September. They toured the East Coast again. However, this was when the Wall Street Crash happened. Work became very hard to find.

Parisian Performances

In April 1930, Myrtle returned to France. She joined Newton's Chocolate Revue. The show opened on May 1 at Gene Newton's Le Comedy Club. It ran for several weeks before the club closed.

The cast then moved to Eugene Bullard's Embassy Club. Their new show was called Revue Noire: Hot Stuff. Myrtle performed with stars like Louis Cole and Elisabeth Welch. They also entertained at the Enfants-Terribles Restaurant.

Myrtle teamed up with Elisabeth Welch for the rest of the summer. They performed at the famous Chez Florence supper club. They wore long orange satin gowns and danced. By late 1930, Myrtle started performing at the Champs-Élysées Nightclub. Soon after, she traveled to Spain.

Success in Spain (1930–1933)

Myrtle arrived in Spain in the winter of 1930. She opened in Madrid on January 6, 1931. She performed with her Red Hot Coals Jazz Orchestra at the Lido de Madrid Cabaret. Her arrival was likely arranged by Alvaro Retana, who brought black jazz artists to Spain.

On March 7, her contract at the Lido ended. Myrtle traveled south to Seville's Casino del Exposicion. She was performing there when the Spanish monarchy ended on April 14. Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres became president, and Alfonso XIII left the country.

In May, Myrtle returned to Madrid's Lido. She performed at the Sala Metropolitano and Ideals-Rosales open-air cabaret. She met Argentine singer Alfredo Marino and his partner, Hector Morel. Myrtle joined them on a tour across Spain's northern coast.

She returned to Madrid and performed at the Casanova en Stambul cabaret. On August 11, Myrtle appeared at the Dancing Retiro. She performed with Afro-American bandleader Harry Flemming. Two days later, she reunited with Morel & Marino. They performed at the Teatro Alkazar for six weeks.

On October 2, Myrtle performed at the Circo Price before going to Barcelona. She appeared on Spanish radio and recorded songs for Compañía del Gramófono-Barcelona. She was known for singing Cuban rumbas and Spanish pasodobles.

Myrtle opened at the Eden Concert music hall with dancer Josephine Wynn. They had a successful month. She also performed in a benefit for Barcelona's firefighters. In December, Myrtle performed with dancer Jimmy Holmes at the Buena Sombra cabaret.

From February to March 1932, she performed with Levi Wine's Revista Americana in Valencia. She returned to Madrid and opened at Lido de Madrid with Louis Douglas's company. After hours, Myrtle also appeared at the Teatro Fuencarral.

In May, she opened at the Avenida Cinema with the show "Modern Melodies." A journalist from the Afro-American newspaper called her the Josephine Baker of Spain. They said she was a great dancer, very lively, and had a lovely figure. She was popular in high society, lived in a top hotel, and recorded for radio.

In July, Myrtle and Josephine Wynn traveled to Zaragoza. They performed for three weeks at the Florida Bar. In October, Spanish newspapers reported a film called Movietone 1933 was being made. It was to feature Myrtle, but it's not known if it was ever released.

In January 1933, Myrtle performed in Andalusia, at Seville's Teatro del Duque and the Teatro Mora in Huelva. In March, she was back in Seville at the Pathe Cinema. In June 1933, she toured Belgium with bandleader Robert de Kers. She recorded a new song, "Lonely Brown Rose."

Returning to Spain in the fall, she opened at Barcelona's Teatro Romea in Max Guido's Jazz Show. She then danced at the Pompeya Musichall and sang at the Hollywood nightclub. That winter, Myrtle toured the south of France with pianist Tommy Puss Chase. They performed in Cannes, Nice, and Monaco.

Touring Europe and India (1934–1936)

On March 11, 1934, Ada Bricktop Smith delayed the opening of her new Parisian nightclub, Monico's, for Myrtle. She advertised Myrtle as "the world’s most fascinating entertainer." After three months, Myrtle moved to the Basque Bar with Evelyn Dove.

On July 2, Myrtle debuted in London's Granada Theater in the Black Scandals show. The show was very successful. In August, she danced in The Hague, Netherlands, with French singer Marie Dubas. In November, Myrtle performed at London's Cafe Anglais.

On January 31, 1935, she returned to Paris. She performed at the Melody-Bar with Opal Cooper. She learned her former husband Eddie was very ill. In March, she went to Berlin for a film. In May, she performed at the Boeuf Sur Le Toit with Leon Abbey's orchestra.

Later that summer, Leon Abbey arranged for Myrtle to perform with his orchestra in Mumbai, India. They arrived in October. They performed at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Green's Ballroom.

By December, Myrtle became ill with malaria. During her recovery, she met Lall Singh, a Malaysian cricket player. Lall Singh was born in 1909 into a wealthy family from British Malaya. He was a talented cricket player and played for Maharajah Patiala's team in India. In 1936, Lall Singh was seriously injured in an incident but recovered.

By March 1936, Lall Singh returned to Europe with Myrtle. He became her theatrical agent. Soon after, they married. Myrtle began wearing a sari and practicing Sikhism. Her former husband in Harlem died around this time.

Myrtle performed in Egypt and Greece. In June, she arrived in Turkey, performing in Istanbul. After traveling through Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia, Myrtle arrived in Czechoslovakia. She performed in Prague before moving to Hungary.

On November 1, Amerika Revu Kultura opened in Budapest. Myrtle was one of the main stars of this show. After the show closed, Myrtle performed at the Negresco Café for the rest of the winter.

Becoming Paquita Zarate (1937–1940)

The Spanish Civil War prevented Myrtle from returning to Spain. Instead, she went back to Paris in the spring of 1937. She performed at Le Grand Jeu Cabaret and the George V Restaurant. She also did live radio broadcasts.

She was soon joined by Samuel Bonifacio Zarate, a Mexican violinist. He was popular in France for his amazing violin skills. He had studied at the Mexican National Conservatory and in Paris. He won first prize at an International Violin Competition.

Samuel met Myrtle at the George V restaurant. Myrtle soon started using the name Paquita. They quickly became a musical team. In September, they moved to the Pavillon-Elysees. They spent the winter at the Villa d'Este cabaret.

In June 1938, Adelaide Hall left her club, the Big Apple Club. Myrtle became the club's main performer. But the club closed that winter. Myrtle returned to the Villa d'Este in September. In December, she performed in Harlem au Coliseum with Samuel Zarate and Zaidee Jackson.

She later performed at the new Park-Lane Club with Louis Armstrong. In the summer of 1939, Myrtle and Zarate toured the Baltic coast. Her German films were very popular there. But the mood in Europe grew dark. Posters announced that France and the United Kingdom were preparing for war.

In August, she was in Poland, appearing on Radio-Warsaw. A few weeks later, World War II began as Nazi troops took over Poland. Paquita managed to get documents to flee back to Paris. Lall Singh decided to return to Malaysia. Myrtle and Lall likely divorced in November. Danger was at her doorstep again as the Germans focused on France in early 1940.

India During Wartime (1941–1943)

With war danger in France, Paquita and Zarate left for a Middle Eastern tour. They traveled across Egypt and Iraq. By the summer of 1941, they arrived in India. They had great success in Lahore and Mumbai.

This caught the attention of the Grand Hotel in Kolkata. The hotel had American jazz musician Teddy Weatherford. In November, the Grand Ballroom featured Myrtle dancing and singing Latin American songs. She was broadcast on Indian radio and recorded songs with Indian Columbia records.

In January 1942, Japanese troops occupied Kuala Lumpur. Lall Singh was held in a camp with his brother, BS Gill, during the war. The Quit India Movement began across India, with people demanding independence. Myrtle got an American passport, planning to leave.

By early 1943, Japanese planes were bombing Calcutta. The Grand Hotel filled with soldiers. Her shows were used to boost troop morale.

Mexico and Return to the United States (1944–1949)

Paquita and Zarate, now engaged, decided to leave India. They boarded the USS Hermitage with Polish refugees. They arrived in San Pedro, California, in the summer of 1943. California was experiencing some social unrest at the time.

The couple traveled south to Mexico, to Zarate's hometown, El Oro de Hidalgo. They spent time with his relatives. After a while, they returned to Los Angeles for more entertainment opportunities.

Paquita also started telling people she was an Indian princess. This story likely helped her avoid some of the racial challenges faced by African-American artists at the time. On January 6, 1944, the couple quietly married in Seattle.

'Zarate & Paquita' took their show across the Western and Southwestern United States, Hawaii, and Alaska. They also performed in Mexico. They played with famous artists like Liberace. They were regular entertainers in Reno, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Eugene, Oregon.

They bought a home in Evanston, Wyoming. Their concerts usually started with Zarate playing classical violin. In the second half, Paquita would join him on drums. She danced in elegant gowns and sang songs from around the world in five languages. They had a very busy touring schedule.

Later Career and Legacy (1952–1968)

In 1952, Zarate applied for American citizenship. He also signed contracts with recording companies, like Northwestern. Zarate and Paquita's records sold well in the Western United States. Later, Zarate opened his own music recording company, ZARPAC. It was based in their Los Angeles home and had a recording studio.

They recorded many songs, nearly a dozen a year. They appeared on American radio and television. They became known for performing foreign songs and trying different music styles, like Calypso.

Around 1953, a strong wind damaged their home in Wyoming. They moved to Sun Valley, California. They then limited their travels to the West Coast. In 1958, they released a religious album. Each song was dedicated to different religions like Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. In 1959, they performed for a year at the Lamplighter Lounge in Corvallis, Oregon.

By 1957, they often toured the central Oregon coast. The owner of a new motel in Depoe Bay, Oregon, wanted them to perform there. On their first visit, Zarate saw a 'For-Sale' sign on a property called "Trails End." He suggested they buy it, and they did in 1959.

They built a new house and a studio. Zarate taught violin, guitar, piano, flute, and organ. Paquita gave lessons in dance and many languages. They also had a restaurant, The Gingerbread House, serving Mexican and Indian food. Children could enter for free to encourage more students. Many students joined the Happy Village Cultural Center.

However, the center was not making money. Paquita became very involved with the children, which affected her health. She had diabetes. To keep the center running, they performed at Amato's Supper Club and the King Surf Beach Resort. Zarate performed at weddings, and they entertained at gatherings for wealthy people. This helped bring in money for their estate.

In the spring of 1962, they performed in Wecoma Beach (now Lincoln City). They presented their songs and dances in many languages. Their stage appearances became less frequent after this, except for annual visits to Mexico. After 1965, they also performed annually at the Salishan Bar & Grill.

Paquita noticed cars driving faster and faster past their home. She wanted to create a place where people could stop and relax. Zarate wanted to wait until her health improved to build it together.

Myrtle "Paquita" Zarate died on November 10, 1968, due to complications from diabetes. Zarate immediately built a small white chapel on the property in her honor. He rarely left, except to visit relatives in Mexico. The Fine Arts School continued, but it didn't attract as many students as before her death. Samuel Zarate continued performing until his death in 1997.

Images for kids

• Myrtle Watkins, Madrid (1932).jpg

  Myrtle Watkins in Madrid, 1932.