Margaret Romaine

Margaret Romaine, born Margaret Elizabeth Tout on September 23, 1888, in Ogden, Utah, was an American concert soprano, opera singer, and Broadway performer who died on June 30, 1984, in Los Angeles at the age of 95. She was the daughter of Edwin Fulford Tout, a native of Wales, and Sarah Emmett Tout. Her family was Mormon and noted for its musical talents. Among her sisters were singer Nannie Tout and actresses Eleanor Dawn and Hazel Dawn. Romaine received vocal training in London under Australian singer Nellie Rowe and later studied with New York vocal teacher Eleanor McLellan.

Romaine built a career that spanned concert halls, opera houses, Broadway stages, and recording studios. She was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company and also performed at the Paris Opéra-Comique. Her Broadway appearances included the 1914 musical The Midnight Girl and The Soldier Boy in 1916. Between 1914 and 1924, she made approximately fifty recordings for the Victor and Columbia labels. In 1921, she appeared in a joint recital alongside baritone Pasquale Amato. By 1928, she was performing in vaudeville programs, and during the 1930s she sang on radio broadcasts. She retired from performing by 1942 and subsequently lived in Beverly Hills. During her career, she wore gowns designed by Rose Tafel.

Romaine married George Emmett Browning Jr. in England in 1911. The couple had two children, a daughter named Margaret, known as Peggy, and a son named Emmett. Her daughter Margaret died in 1976, eight years before Romaine herself passed away in Los Angeles.