Belle Baker - My Sin, 1929

Belle BAKER (née Bella Becker); (b.1893, New York City - d.1957, Los Angeles) - a legandary American singer and actress who rose to fame as a vaudeville vocalist, appearing on Broadway and in nightclubs, films, radio and television.

In the early 1920s Baker took part in a Baltimore song competition with Catherine Calvert, the Hamilton Sisters (Pearl and Violet) and Jessie Fordyce. She was the first artist to record „All of Me" one of the most recorded songs of its era, and she was also the first person in the United States to do a radio broadcast from a moving train. In 1926, Baker had the title role in Broadway's Betsy. She introduced Irving Berlin's "Blues Skies" in the Florenz Ziegfeld production, which ran for 39 performances from December 28, 1926 to January 29, 1927. On radio, she was a guest performer on The Eveready Hour, broadcasting's first major variety show, which featured Broadway's top headliners. After roles in the films Song of Love (1929) and Charing Cross Road (1935), she appeared as herself in Atlantic City (1944).

She was married to the composer Maurice Abrahams (1883-1931), who wrote the songs "I'm Walking with the Moonbeams (Talking to the Stars)" and "Take Everything But You" for Song of Love. The couple had one child, Herbert Baker. In 1937, she married Elias E. Sugarman, editor of the theatrical magazine Billboard. She died of a heart attack in 1957 in Los Angeles.

After the premiere of „Song of Love" the Village Voice critic Joe Yranski wrote: "In Song of Love Belle Baker sings better than Sophie Tucker. On film, she's a better comedian than Fanny Brice. She's one of those talents who made one or two movies, then went to England, came back and was totally forgotten."

Recording: Belle Baker -- My Sin (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson), Brunswick 1927

ATTENTION! Please, go to another recordings of Belle Baker's in this site!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Roaring
• Twenties
• DeSylva
• New
• Your
• City
• vadeuville
• 1920s
• Jazz
• Age
• vocalist
• 78s
• shellac

[opelske]

WOW! What a beautiful and strong voice. How come no movie has ever been made about this lovely lady? I love You-Tube - we get to see and hear talent that was never on TV. Thanks for posting.

[ldFlorida]

Never came across Belle till now. Fantastic voice! Great song as well. Thanks for posting.

[63filmbuff]

"The Song Of Love" was the final film I saw at the last Hollywood Cinecon I attended in the mid to late 1990s.A great film with some wonderful music. A great final film to see. A real winner

[kleptyklump]

She had so much feeling in her voice! Is it just me or does she sound like an earlier version of Judy Garland? Thank you for posting this

[ddomian]

would SO love to hear her 'All of Me". please??

[waynebrasler]

Belle Baker was very famous, very celebrated. A great influence on many other entertainers. Way ahead of her time.

[roybo1930]

I am indeed lucky to have a ment Brunswick 78 copie of this! GOD she was BEAUTIFUL!!! This is the best version of this song ever!

[jobill3433]

A great song by a great vocalist. Today's singer coildn't even come close to singer's of yesterday. To sing with just one or two people from a band and sound so good there is no way that it could be duplicated. And it's not the singers of today's fault. There is too much electroniocs,in the background,for them to realize that their voice would be off key if sang the same way as did the singer's of yesterday.

[mvnkct]

Great GREAT SONG. LOVE THE MELODY AND THE PIX OF BELLE.

[Gydinglight12]

In Belle's voice and technique in this song I seem to hear Judy Garland. 

[sammipink]

what a lovely voice never ever heard of this lady before. Thats why i love you tube so many hidden singers bought to life again thank you.

[odysseetheater]

how lucky we are that YT exists, this is sometimes a historiy channel, thanks for this treasure !!!!!! worm regards eva