Irene Taylor

Who was Irene Taylor?

Irene Taylor was an American singer best known for her recorded work with Paul Whiteman. She was married to singer and bandleader Seger Ellis.

Taylor came from Muskogee, Oklahoma, but seems to have begun her musical career in Dallas. There she made her recording debut for Okeh Records in 1925, resulting in two sides where she is accompanied by local bandleader Jack Gardner. After that Taylor worked for a while with another local band, the Louisiana Ramblers, before going to New York City.

In New York in 1928 Taylor made what is probably her best known and most frequently reissued recording: Mississippi Mud with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, also featuring Bix Beiderbecke and The Rhythm Boys. This was the first Whiteman recording ever to feature a female vocalist. Taylor would work briefly with Whiteman again during the early 1930s, replacing Mildred Bailey who had left the band due to disagreements regarding her salary. During this latter period, Taylor's recordings with Whiteman included Willow Weep for Me. This was the second recording ever of this future jazz standard by Ann Ronell and became a hit. She was also the vocalist on one of Whiteman's hottest 1930's recordings, "In The Dim Dim Dawning".