Bee Palmer
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and dancer. She was born Beatrice C. Palmer in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Palmer first attracted significant attention as one of the first exponents of the "shimmy
Shimmy
A shimmy is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. It may help to hold the arms out slightly bent at the elbow, and when the shoulders are moved, keep the hands in...
" dance in the late 1910s. She was sometimes credited as the creator of the "shimmy" (although there were other claimants at the time as well).
She first appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1918.
She toured with an early jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band which included such notables as Emmett Hardy
Emmett Hardy
Emmett Louis Hardy was an early jazz cornet player and one of the best regarded New Orleans musicians of his generation....
, Leon Ropollo and Santo Pecora
Santo Pecora
Santo Pecoraro, better known as Santo Pecora was an American jazz trombonist known for his longtime association with the New Orleans jazz scene....
in addition pianist/songwriter Al Siegel (who Palmer married). The band was called "Bee Palmer's New Orleans Rhythm Kings
New Orleans Rhythm Kings
The New Orleans Rhythm Kings were one of the most influential jazz bands of the early-to-mid 1920s. The band was a combination of New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago Jazz and influenced many younger jazz musicians....
"; with some personnel changes the Rhythm Kings went on to even greater fame after parting ways with Palmer.
In 1921 an alleged affair with boxing champ Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
created a scandal and a lawsuit.
She is credited as co-composer of the pop song standard "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" was written by Sam H. Stept with lyrics by Sidney Clare. Original publication also credited singer Bee Palmer as co-composer. The song was published in 1930...
".
She made a few recordings which were not issued at the time (including a session with Frankie Trumbauer
Frankie Trumbauer
Orie Frank Trumbauer was one of the leading jazz saxophonists of the 1920s and 1930s. He played the C-melody saxophone which, in size, is between an alto and tenor saxophone...
), thanks to surviving test pressings/masters the recordings were finally issued in the 1990s and 2000s.