Biography
Numerous aliases populate the recording industry, yet certain ones provoke particular discomfort upon scrutiny. Juxtaposing an adopted identity against an artist's actual surname often yields a predictable jolt of recognition. Peggy English therefore surfaced as Peggy Britten, prompting immediate skepticism about whether the maneuver could deceive anyone. Its sole intended audience consisted of purchasing agents at low-priced retail outlets and larger stores bound by exclusivity agreements. One such pact, for instance, granted sole rights to distribute the soaring 1920s release "High High High Up in the Hills" under the English name. Any rival merchant seeking the same title would find it unavailable in that form, prompting substitution via the Britten credit or parallel designations such as Harlem Hannah and Nora West. Additional monikers threatened to proliferate unless studio access were restricted, though the multiplicity remained illusory; every variant denoted the identical singer.
English adopted the Britten identity specifically for 1926 Cameo dates while simultaneously cutting Jane Shaw sides for the Romeo imprint, whose catalog leaned toward amorous fare like "I'm in Love Again." Such romantic material risked contractual complications once Romeo discovered that the same artist marketed "Gorgeous" overseas as Lillie Daltry or Nora West. Contemporary accounts consistently described the performer as attractive regardless of billing. Producer Joe Davis's biography notes that "Davis certainly always had an eye for a good looking singer, and Peggy English has to be in the top listing." Whether credited as Britten or English, she most frequently worked with pianist and composer Rube Bloom, whose spare settings recall those later devised for Ella Fitzgerald by accompanists such as Ellis Larkin. The Harmony company authorized a costlier date with the University Six ensemble after the singer pitched the project under the neutral Jane Gray name; those 1928 recordings rank among her most compelling efforts under any designation. Additional sessions spotlighted guitarist Eddie Lang.
By the early 1930s she reemerged as Harlem Hannah, a Bluebird artist whose compositions list Peg English as co-writer. ~ Eugene Chadbourne
English adopted the Britten identity specifically for 1926 Cameo dates while simultaneously cutting Jane Shaw sides for the Romeo imprint, whose catalog leaned toward amorous fare like "I'm in Love Again." Such romantic material risked contractual complications once Romeo discovered that the same artist marketed "Gorgeous" overseas as Lillie Daltry or Nora West. Contemporary accounts consistently described the performer as attractive regardless of billing. Producer Joe Davis's biography notes that "Davis certainly always had an eye for a good looking singer, and Peggy English has to be in the top listing." Whether credited as Britten or English, she most frequently worked with pianist and composer Rube Bloom, whose spare settings recall those later devised for Ella Fitzgerald by accompanists such as Ellis Larkin. The Harmony company authorized a costlier date with the University Six ensemble after the singer pitched the project under the neutral Jane Gray name; those 1928 recordings rank among her most compelling efforts under any designation. Additional sessions spotlighted guitarist Eddie Lang.
By the early 1930s she reemerged as Harlem Hannah, a Bluebird artist whose compositions list Peg English as co-writer. ~ Eugene Chadbourne
Singles
