Sallie Blair began her career performing as a band act with Johnny Otis and Duke Ellington before joining Cab Calloway's Cotton Club Revue.
16 Facts About Sallie Blair
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Sallie Blair was born Sarah Bolling Mason Hutchins in Baltimore, Maryland on April 27,1934.
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Sallie Blair was the daughter of Sarah Mason and pro golfer Carlos Hutchins.
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Sallie Blair attended Douglass High School and began performing at 16 in 1950.
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Sallie Blair performed in clubs in Chicago and Los Angeles before replacing an ailing act at New York's Waldorf-Astoria.
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In 1956, Sallie Blair won the talent competition Chance of a Lifetime on ABC-TV hosted by Dennis James.
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Sallie Blair sang "Cry Me A River" and "It's Alright With Me," winning the top prize of $1,000 and a one-week engagement at the Versailles nightclub Miami.
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Duke Ellington Johnny Otis Dennis James Johnny Carson Ed Sullivan Freda DeKnight Warren Beatty 8.
Sallie Blair gained some acclaim, performing in South America, the Middle East, and Europe.
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Sallie Blair appeared in various publications, including Life magazine, Esquire, Ebony and Jet.
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Sallie Blair appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Johnny Carson.
11.
Sallie Blair released her debut album Squeeze Me on Bethlehem in 1957.
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In 1958, Sallie Blair headlined Donn Arden's production at New York's Latin Quarter.
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Sallie Blair didn't achieve success on the charts with her records, but she gained a following for her sensual barefoot performances.
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Sallie Blair spent three weeks in the intensive care unit shortly before returning to her mother's apartment where she died at the age of 57 on February 17,1992.
15.
In 1963, Sallie Blair married pianist and arranger Rene DeKnight, widower of Freda DeKnight and formerly of The Delta Rhythm Boys, in Honolulu where DeKnight was heading his own trio.
16.
Sallie Blair was romantically linked to actor Warren Beatty in the late 1970s.