Margie Singleton

Born into a household steeped in music, Margie Singleton grew up alongside her sister Pauline, who performed on piano, and her older brother Charlie Creath, a well-known cornetist and leader of his own ensemble. Piano instruction revealed her striking facility with both classical repertoire and popular styles, though she later remarked that professional aspirations had never appealed to her; she simply took pleasure in performing and listening. Around St. Louis she gained local recognition and occasionally joined her brother’s group for live engagements, though she never appeared on his records. Possessing an acute ear, she frequently offered guidance to fellow pianists concerning their approach and weaknesses.

After meeting Shelby Singleton she moved with him to Chicago, where the couple married. From the mid-1930s onward her role shifted primarily to managing her husband’s professional affairs, even while she continued to share occasional musical counsel; she would fill in at the keyboard whenever a pianist failed to appear. The pair spent several years in Chicago before relocating to Los Angeles for the duration of the 1940s, and later settled in New York, with Margie serving throughout as both spouse and business manager. In Shelby’s final years she devoted herself to his care, and afterward she declined repeated suggestions that she resume performing.

Listeners who caught her at the piano consistently praised her command of blues and ragtime. During her time with her brother’s band in St. Louis she effectively directed rehearsals, shaped the ensemble’s sound, and helped maintain its standing among the city’s leading and most popular jazz outfits.