Researching Irene Taylor

Taylor came from Muskogee, Oklahoma, but seems to have begun her musical career in Dallas. There she made her recording debut for Okeh Records in 1925, resulting in two sides where she is accompanied by local bandleader Jack Gardner. After that Taylor worked for a while with another local band, the Louisiana Ramblers, before going to New York City.

In New York in 1928 Taylor made what is probably her best known and most frequently reissued recording: Mississippi Mud (Victor 21274) with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, also featuring Bix Beiderbecke and The Rhythm Boys (including a young Bing Crosby). This was the first Whiteman recording ever to feature a female vocalist. Taylor would work briefly with Whiteman again during the early 1930s, replacing Mildred Bailey who had left the band due to disagreements regarding her salary. During this latter period, Taylor's recordings with Whiteman included Willow Weep for Me (Victor 24187). This was the second recording ever of this future jazz standard by Ann Ronell and became a hit. She was also the vocalist on one of Whiteman's hottest 1930's recordings, "In The Dim Dim Dawning" (Victor 24189). Both songs were re-recorded 8 days later and were included in the rare 33 1/3 long play transcription (L-16017) along with "Take Me In Your Arms", sung by Jack Fulton.

Otherwise Taylor worked mostly in radio during the 1930s, including regular appearances in Bing Crosby's radio shows, and seems to have had her main base in Chicago. She also made a few records in her own name, first for Victor Records (which were never issued) and later for Vocalion Records. She also appeared on Broadway and in the Vitaphone short film Listening In where she sang I Ain't Lazy, I'm Just Dreamin'.

Probably in the 1930s, Taylor married pianist, crooner and bandleader Seger Ellis. She appeared as vocalist on several of her husband's big band recordings during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Taylor told the Dallas Times-Herald in 1965: “I was on top of the world when it suddenly ended in 1944. It was a hard adjustment. Not only was my career gone, but I couldn’t even speak for a year without sounding like I had laryngitis. I burned all of my scrapbooks, records and everything else that was a link with the past. I’m afraid I was very bitter.” After WWII, Taylor married Texas businessman Bill Gillett. They lived in Dallas Texas. Irene Gillett (Taylor) died on June 24, 1988.

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