Eloise C. Uggams

Eloise Colcolough Uggams (December 20, 1896 – July 14, 1972) was an American soprano and Broadway performer whose career spanned from 1928 to 1953. Born in either Florida or South Carolina — sources differ on the location — she was the daughter of Coyden Harold Uggams, a Presbyterian minister, and Mamie Hughes Uggams. She attended Fisk University, where she gave her senior recital in 1919.

Uggams began her professional musical life before her Broadway debut, singing and touring with the Fisk Jubilee Quartet alongside Henrietta Myers in 1918 and 1919. In 1924 she made recordings of spirituals with the Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers. Her Broadway career commenced with Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1928, in which she appeared during its original 1928–1929 run and again in 1934. She subsequently appeared in the revue Rhapsody in Black in 1931 and in the comedy The Pirate during its 1942–1943 run. In 1943 she also took part in the play Run, Little Chillun, and that same year began a recurring association with Porgy and Bess, appearing in productions in 1943, 1944, and 1953. She additionally joined the European touring company of Porgy and Bess, a production that included Leontyne Price, William Warfield, Cab Calloway, and Maya Angelou. In 1953 she recorded with the Everyman Opera of New York.

Beyond the stage, Uggams contributed to the war effort during World War II by touring the United States with the USO. Following the war, she performed as a soloist with the Eva Jessye Choir on tour. She also worked as a dressmaker, including for designer Oleg Cassini, and contributed to the wedding gown worn by actress Gene Tierney in 1941.

Uggams played a significant role in the life of her niece, actress and singer Leslie Uggams, by helping to finance her attendance at Professional Children's School in New York. Eloise Uggams died in New York in 1972 at the age of 75.