Belle Baker was my grandmother. I believe you have her birthdate wrong.
Vaudevillians were a colorful lot, and birthdays -- especially years -- were always pretty fluid. I do believe your placing of Belle as born in 1896 is incorrect: even if you do the math contained in your article, you would have her dying at 60, not 62.
The earliest date I have for Belle is 1893, and I believe that is probably correct. She often said 1895, and that is corroborated in some source material as well.
Thank you for including Belle on your website! As a musicologist who is actually hoping to publish a book on her life, I appreciate the attention! Furthermore, Belle was a wonderful singer whose life experiences tell us a lot about performers, particularly female, of her time.
Belle Baker was my grandmother. I believe you have her birthdate wrong.
Vaudevillians were a colorful lot, and birthdays -- especially years -- were always pretty fluid. I do believe your placing of Belle as born in 1896 is incorrect: even if you do the math contained in your article, you would have her dying at 60, not 62.
The earliest date I have for Belle is 1893, and I believe that is probably correct. She often said 1895, and that is corroborated in some source material as well.
Thank you for including Belle on your website! As a musicologist who is actually hoping to publish a book on her life, I appreciate the attention! Furthermore, Belle was a wonderful singer whose life experiences tell us a lot about performers, particularly female, of her time.
Nicole Baker
nbaker@fullerton.edu 626-260-8249