Tina Dixon facts for kids
Tina Dixon was a talented American singer, actress, and comedian. She became a featured singer with the famous swing bandleader Jimmie Lunceford early in her career. During the 1940s, she recorded music for record labels like Excelsior, Aladdin, and King Records. Later in her career, by the 1970s, Dixon was known as Auntie Tina Dixon and released comedy albums for adults.
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Early Life and Music Career
Tina Dixon was born in Detroit, Michigan. She started her singing journey at the age of 18. Her very first performance was at a place called the Club Ballyhoo in Detroit. Later, she even performed at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
In 1939, Tina married Leon Collins, a talented tap dancer, in Detroit. A few years later, in 1942, they moved to New York City. There, Tina was scheduled to perform with the well-known Jimmie Lunceford orchestra. Tina even helped her husband get a spot in the show. When another performer got sick, Leon stepped in. This led to a five-year contract for him!
Tina and Leon performed with Jimmie Lunceford's band in many theaters and nightclubs. She appeared at places like the Tic Toc Club in Boston, the Cafe Zanzibar in New York, and Club Bali in Washington, D.C. Her manager was Harold F. Oxley, who also managed other famous artists. Tina also appeared on television and in short color movies. She even performed for soldiers and sailors at army and navy camps.
The "E-Bob-O-Le-Bob" Song Story
In June 1945, Tina Dixon recorded a song called "E-Bob-O-Le-Bob" with Jimmie Lunceford. This recording was for the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) show called Jubilee. AFRS made recordings of African-American artists. These songs were shared with the United States Armed Forces and their allies. They were not meant to be sold to the public.
Tina Dixon was credited as the songwriter for "E-Bob-O-Le-Bob." However, soon after, another singer named Helen Humes released a very similar song. Her song was called "Be-Baba-Leba" on Philo Records. Helen Humes was credited as the songwriter for her version. Her song became a big hit!
Even though Helen Humes' version was a hit, Tina Dixon had been performing "E-Bob-O-Le-Bob" in her shows since 1942. This caused some discussion about who truly wrote the song first. A music magazine called Billboard even wrote about it in January 1946. They noted that Tina Dixon had the original copyright because she performed the song first.
Tina Dixon never had a song become a big hit on the music charts. But she kept performing and made friends with many other entertainers. One of her friends was the famous comedian Redd Foxx. In 1975, she even appeared on his popular television show, Sanford & Son. By this time, she was known as Auntie Tina Dixon. She released two comedy albums for adults, Take It Out Of This! and Calling All Freaks, on Laff Records. Tina Dixon also had a role in the 1977 movie called Big Time.
Music Recordings
Singles
- 1945: The Flennoy Trio – "E-Bob-O-Le-Bob" (Excelsior 130)
- 1947: Tina Dixon & Lady Blue Allstar – "Don't You Know I Want To Love You" / "Hello Baby" (Aladdin 205)
- 1949: Tina Dixon And Gene Nero Sextet – "Walk That Walk, Daddy-O" / "Parrot Bar Boogie" (King 4257)
- 1950: Tina Dixon And Gene Nero Sextet – "Blow Mr. Be-Bop" (King 4332)
Albums
- Take It Out Of This! (Laff Records)
- Calling All Freaks (Laff Records)
Album Appearances
- 1985: Those Great Blues Girls From The 40's (Capitol Records)
- 2002: Fine Fine Baby: King's Queens – King's Blues Gals Of The '40s (Westside Records)
