Helen Oakley Dance

• Born: February 15, 1913, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Died: May 27, 2001, Escondido, CA
• Active: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: Liner Notes

Biography

Even though Helen Oakley Dance did not play an instrument, her contributions as a promoter, historian, and record producer were just as important as any musician's.

Dance was born in Toronto, Canada, to a financially privileged family. Her first introduction to jazz was when she heard the Ellington Orchestra in Paris, while attending school in Switzerland. Upon her return to Toronto, Dance threw her family a curve ball when she told them she was moving to Detroit to pursue a singing career. The singing career never took flight, but Dance's presence in the local jazz community did.

During the 1930s, she worked for the management organizations of Armstrong and Ellington. She is also credited for persuading Benny Goodman to hire African-American pianist Teddy Wilson, a move that was unheard of in its time. Dance was also influential in convincing Ellington's manager, Irving Mills, on breaking off the Ellington Orchestra into smaller ensembles. The positive results from the forming of the ensembles lead Dance into becoming head of Artists and Repertoire for Variety Records. In Chicago and New York, she produced jazz concerts that included performances by Billie Holiday, Earl Hines, and Benny Goodman. Some credit the Goodman concert to be the first American formal jazz concert, with the audience seated concert-style.

In the late '40s, Helen married jazz biographer and record producer Stanley Dance. In addition to contributing to Down Beat Magazine, the couple wrote as a team for various publications such as Mary Maker and Jazz Journal. In the late '70s, the couple moved to Vista, CA, near San Diego. Helen wrote a biography of blues guitarist T-Bone Walker, which was published in 1987. The book, Stormy Monday: The T-Bone Walker Story, was received well by the music and journalist communities.

Helen Oakly Dance passed away in Escondido, CA, on May 27, 2001, at the age of 88, due to complications from a broken hip and heart attack that happened earlier that month. Her contributions to the evolution of the jazz world will last forever in the music relationships she helped form, the records she produced and the words she wrote. ~ Diana Potts, All Music Guide