1. Lucy Monroe was an American operatic soprano and dancer.
17 Facts About Lucy Monroe
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Lucy Monroe was noted for her performances of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States, which she performed for Presidents and at sporting and military events, which earned her the nickname of "The Star-Spangled Soprano".
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Lucy Monroe graduated from the Horace Mann School, where she was a member of the glee club.
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Lucy Monroe's father did not want her to pursue a career in music, but after he died in 1925, her mother encouraged Monroe's ambitions.
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Lucy Monroe pursued further studies in singing with Estelle Liebling, the voice teacher of Beverly Sills, in New York City.
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Lucy Monroe began her career in 1925 as a dancer for the Ziegfeld Follies and became a backup singer.
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Lucy Monroe sang the national anthem again at President Franklin D Roosevelt's birthday ball at the Waldorf Astoria New York in January 1938.
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Lucy Monroe became the official soloist for both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
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Lucy Monroe began to perform at the Metropolitan Opera and New York Philharmonic.
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Lucy Monroe was the star of The American Jubilee, a show at the 1939 New York World's Fair; each of its 650 performances ended with Monroe singing the national anthem, earning her the nicknames "The Star-Spangled Soprano" and "The Star-Spangled Banner Girl".
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Lucy Monroe performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the National Symphony Orchestra at Constitution Hall in March 1941 to celebrate its 10th anniversary as the national anthem.
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Lucy Monroe visited Fort McHenry in September 1944 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of "The Star-Spangled Banner".
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Lucy Monroe sang the national anthem for Opening Day at Yankee Stadium annually from 1945 through 1960 and at World Series games hosted at Yankee Stadium during that time.
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Lucy Monroe performed the national anthem in 1949 for the unveiling of a monument to Babe Ruth in Monument Park.
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Lucy Monroe continued traveling to Europe and North Africa on United Service Organizations tours, and went to Korea in 1953.
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Lucy Monroe sang the national anthem at the ceremony preceding the start of the demolition of Ebbets Field on February 23,1960.
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Lucy Monroe died in Manhattan from cancer on October 13,1987,10 days before her 81st birthday.