Cove, Oregon, November 30th, 1897
born Lena Corinne Taylor
I wonder why people today think that I was born in Portland. My brother, Glen, was born there in 1904 when I was six or seven years old but Mama always told me that I was born "on the road" in a tiny little mining town called Cove tucked way up there in the northeast corner of Oregon. My brothers were all singers and that's how we made our living although we were never very prosperous. To bring 'em in, I guess they liked putting me out there in front of the stage to add a little class to the act! I wore my frillies and I guess I sang some. We used to gypsy around a lot back then, from town to town, but I don't have any memories of working all those small mining places that Papa took us to every week in his wagon. I was just too young.
My first professional experience
circa 1900
When I was just three years old, Papa decided to feature me in one of his evangelizing shows. This was in a place called Leadville, Colorado. Again, I don't remember it but my brothers never stopped telling folks about it years later. I must have put on quite some show for those miners!
The Formative Years
Kooskia and Beyond
In 1908, Papa wanted to return to Idaho to find some good farming land. These were hard years and we needed to get by the best we could. I remember arriving in Kooskia but I never thought we'd stay there for as long as we did.
The Jazz Age Dawns
Hitchy-Koo and Broadway too!
Coming soon!
The Voice Recorded
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1924 - Pathé Records
1927 - Columbia Records
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The Songbird Falls Silent
Rochester, New York, December 16th, 1954
at rest Lee Morse Farese
Coming soon!
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