First up: Calamity Jane
Belle Starr
And we end with end with Kansas City’s own, Annie Chambers
After spending so much time talking about the Harvey Girls and Fred Harvey, we got to thinking of their contemporaries (more…)
Harvey Girls, undated, Creative Commons
Over 100,000 women left their hometowns for adventure, a job (and maybe to find a husband) to become Harvey Girls. These poised, skilled, efficient, charming women waited on customers in Harvey House restaurants all across the US and stayed to help establish communities in growing towns. But, it’s impossible to tell the tale of these brave women who helped settle the American West without talking about the man behind them: Fred Harvey.
Mr. Fred Harvey, the man behind the women. Public domain
From a rough start on the streets of Harlem to the Apollo stage, smokey clubs, years on the road, and in recording studios Ella led the world through the trends and wild ride that was the musical scene during most of the last century.
If Ella’s story touches you like it touched us, would you please consider supporting the musical arts in your own community or through the Jazz Foundation of America? This is not sponsored, it’s just a cause that is near and dear to our hearts and we know that, with no shows, live musicians are struggling around the country due to the pandemic.
Shownotes and recommendations for this episode are here, in the Way Back Machine.
On January 20, 2011, we launched the show with a three-minute introduction explaining what this podcast was going to be. It was recorded the very first time we sat down in front of a microphone and it’s a little…raw. Truth be told, we didn’t fully know what the show was going to be like, we just had a vague idea: women’s biographies told conversationally with a touch of irreverence. Likewise, we had no clue what being a podcaster meant, Beckett always describes that time as a, “nearly vertical learning curve.”
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via Flickr, Gushi Soda
We kick off 2021 with optimism and a charming smile, but Shirley Temple Black was a lot more than just an adorable, emotional cheerleader through the Depression, that was only her first act. (more…)
Mrs. Claus isn’t a one-dimensional support player in Santa’s life- when the spotlight shines on her it’s easy to see depth, wisdom, wit, beauty, endurance, and some really amazing cookie recipes. As is our tradition (and we’re all about the traditions over here) today we are sharing the story of Mrs. Claus for Christmas!
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