Annette Hanshaw

“The life and musical career of Annette Hanshaw”

1901-1985
Monica Raney & Amy Land
Intro to Music: Tuesday 6:00 p.m. March 2, 2004

Annette Hanshaw. “The early years”

1901-1926
• Born in Manhattan on October 18, 1901. Annette came from a well to do family. Aunt Nellie
McCoy and Cousin Bob “Uke” Hanshaw were well-known vaudeville performers. Her father
Frank ran away to join circus but returned. Her family owned their own music store where she
demo’ed sheet music. She sang for guest at hotels owned by her father.
• Started her singing career at the age of sixteen, when she would sing at society birthday
parties in Greenwich, Round Hill, and Westchester Estates for money.
• Her first commercial recordings “Black Bottom” and “Six feet of Papa” were made in New
York on September 12th and September 18th of 1926.
• Annette wanted to be a painter; the only education she had after high school was when she
spent a year at the National Academy of Design.

Annette Hanshaw “The Life and Musical Career”

1926-1937

• Annette Hanshaw was a female jazz singer in the twenties and thirties; she never really liked
performing in front of people. She recorded under the names, Gay Ellis, Dot Dare, and Patsy
Young. She was most famous for her impersonations of Betty Boop. She preferred to sing
alone and only appeared on two records “Say it isn’t so” and “Happy days are here again”
with someone else.
• It was recorded that between her singing and radio career Annette recorded over 780 songs.
• Annette Hanshaw married Herman Rose in 1929. She preferred a quiet life; she never really
wanted to be a musician, and did not like her voice.
• Annette Hanshaw was a radio star as well as a musician; her first appearance on the radio
was in 1929, although she had previsaly done her first commercial in 1926. In 1932 she
started a two-year run on the show “Captain Henry’s Maxwell House Show Boat” on NBC
Radio. The show was the biggest production conceived for radio. Annette played Helen
Morgan; this is what she is known mostly for doing.
• Annette Hanshaw was known as the “Personality Girl." She is most famous for using the line
“that’s all” after her recordings.
• Annette Hanshaw’s favorite singers were Marion Harris, Sophie Tucker, and Blossom Seeley.
• At the age of twenty-four Annette quit singing, her last recordings were made February 3.
1934 but her actual last song was recorded on “The Chevrolet Musical Moments Revue” on
December 6, 1937. She later appeared on the Canadian Broadcast Company radio show in
the 1970’s.
• Annette’s husband Herman Rose died in 1954, and later she married Herb Kurtin. Annette
died on March 14, 1985 in Hartsdale, New York.

Annette Hanshaw “Impact on music”

• Annette never had the desire to be a better musician, if she had, then she might have been
more famous. She never won any awards, and most people do not know who she is but that
does not mean she was not a remarkable singer. Annette Hanshaw’s voice was like the voice
of and angel. She is not known as a famous artist, and to her the most important aspects
were her family and being a housewife. Annette is a unique and remarkable artist because
she had a gift from god, but instead of sharing it with the world she choose to stay with her
family and take care of them.
• Annette is most famous for her work on the radio shows “Captain Henry’s Maxwell House
Show Boat” and her line “that’s all” after her recordings. She had fourteen records during her
eleven-year career.
 Annette Hanshaw
“The life and musical career of Annette Hanshaw”
1901-1985
Monica Raney
Amy Nicole
Intro to Music: Tuesday 6:00 p.m. March 9, 2004

Resources:
1.) www.redhotjazz.com/Hanshaw.html
2.) www.dgarrick.com/annettehanshaw/bio/bio.php
3.) www.vh1.com/artists/az/hanshaw_annette/artist.jhtml
4.) song “Love Me Tonight”—from the album “It was so Beautiful”
5.) song “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye”—from the album “Lovable and Sweet—25 Vintage
Hits”

Our Questions:
1.) What radio show did Annette Hanshaw appear on for two years from 1932 to 1934?
A.) Captain Henry’s Maxwell House Boat show
B.) The Chevrolet Musical Moments Revue
C.) The Entertainers

2.) Why did Annette Hanshaw quit singing in 1934?

A.) Because she got sick and could not sing anymore.
B.) Because nobody wanted to sign her record label.
C.) Because she never really wanted to be a singer and she wanted to be a housewife.
3.) At what age did Annette Hanshaw first start singing?
A.) three
B.) twenty-four
C.) sixteen

Our Anserws:
1.) A
2.) C
3.) C

Dr. Barber’s comments:

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