Mable Lee

Mable Lee (August 2, 1921 – February 7, 2019) was an American jazz tap dancer, singer, and entertainer, born in Atlanta, Georgia to Rosella Moore and Alton Lee. She performed on Broadway from 1952 to 1977, with credits including the 1952 revival of Shuffle Along and Bubbling Brown Sugar. Her extensive work in film shorts of the 1940s earned her the title "Queen of the Soundies."

Lee demonstrated exceptional ability from childhood, beginning to perform at age four. By nine she was appearing in local clubs with a big band, and at twelve she was performing at the Top Hat nightclub in Georgia. Neither of her parents worked in show business, though both sang and danced at home. Her high school music teacher, Graham W. Jackson Sr., recognized her talent and brought her along to perform, including at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's vacation house in White Plains, Georgia. The Whitman Sisters took notice of Lee while she was performing at the Top Hat, but her mother encouraged her to complete high school before pursuing her career professionally.

In 1940, Lee relocated to New York City with her mother and joined the chorus at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She pursued simultaneous work in vaudeville and nightclubs, and auditioned successfully for a position at the West End Theatre. Dick Campbell subsequently arranged for her to travel to London, where she spent eighteen months and performed at the London Palladium. During that time she met choreographer Buddy Bradley and began teaching alongside him. She also married while in London, though the marriage was brief.

During World War II, Lee toured with the USO as a member of their first all-black unit, performing for the Navy, the Air Force, and at various military camps. She also performed for wounded veterans in hospitals following the war and appeared at Leavenworth. Throughout the 1940s she appeared in more than 100 soundies, the short musical films that gave rise to her "Queen of the Soundies" designation. She was featured on the cover of the March 1947 issue of Ebony magazine.

Lee returned from Europe in 1950 and moved back to Atlanta, where she met her husband Tony Mansfield. She resumed performing in Atlanta theaters and nightclubs, this time as a solo act. She then returned to Broadway, appearing in the 1952 revival of Shuffle Along, for which she had helped raise between $500,000 and $600,000 through travel and fundraising efforts. The production ran only three days. She went on to appear in additional Broadway productions, including Bubbling Brown Sugar, and also danced in The Hoofers. Throughout her career she contributed choreography, including for the Soundies, though she did not receive formal credit for that work.

In 1956, Lee fronted an uncredited vocal group on the rhythm and blues ballad "Dearest Dream," co-written by Billy Dawn Smith and released by Hull Records. In 1960, she and Tony Mansfield had a son, Michael, their only child.

Lee received the Flo-Bert Award in 2004, an honor recognizing outstanding figures in tap dance, and was inducted into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2008. Her final performance took place in July 2018 at Symphony Space in Manhattan as part of the New York City Tap Festival. She died on February 7, 2019, at a nursing home in Manhattan at the age of 97.