Jean Starr

Jean Starr was an American actress, dancer, and trumpeter born in Columbus, Ohio. Her career spanned theatrical performance, recording, and bandwork across several decades, and she later became a prominent figure in Chicago African American society.

Starr's stage career began in the early 1920s. She appeared in the theatrical production Raisin' Cain in 1923 and Lucky Sambo in 1925, the latter of which was among her Broadway credits. Her Broadway work continued through 1928 and included the musical Keep Shufflin'.

As a musician, Starr contributed to a number of significant recordings and ensembles. She is featured on the album Jazz Women: A Feminist Retrospective on the song "Moonlight On Turham Bay," recorded alongside L'Ana Hyams and other female performers. In 1929 she recorded for Okeh Records, including "Radio Papa" and a duet with Johnny Lee titled "Find Out What They Like (And How They Like It)." She joined the International Sweethearts of Rhythm in 1940 and was recorded with the group on "Tuxedo Junction," among other tracks. She also performed with the Jimmie Lunceford Band, played with the Benny Carter Orchestra, and in her later years was a member of Eddie Durham's All-Star Girl Orchestra.

Starr married McKissack "Mack" McHenry Jones, a member of the Jones family, a prosperous Chicago African American family involved in the policy numbers game before a violent takeover by Al Capone and other organized crime figures. Through this marriage she became Jean Starr Jones and a recognized figure in Chicago society. Josephine Baker was her sister-in-law. Starr led the Bronzeville socialite group the Royalites and was regularly featured in society pages of African American magazines. She was also at one point expected to marry Clarence H. Cobbs of the First Church of Deliverance.

Following her husband's death in a car accident, Starr developed the couple's vacation property into a resort known as the Double J Ranch, also referred to as the Pink Mansion, located in Constantine Township, Michigan. The resort drew African American visitors and also received high-profile guests. The land where the resort stood is now part of the Three Rivers State Wildlife Management Area. Starr maintained close ties with the Jones family throughout her life and continued to appear in African American society publications, including a notice in Ebony in August 1950 and an entry in Who's Who in Colored America in 1950.