Ruth Etting

Torch singer Ruth Etting sang in Chicago nightclubs before making her Broadway debut in ZIEGFIELD FOLLIES OF 1927. 1928's WHOOPEE! introduced "Love Me Or Leave Me," the standard which would come to always be associated with her. An incredible run of over 60 hits followed between 1926 and 1937, including "Ain’t Misbehavin’," "Try A Little Tenderness," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and "Life Is A Song." In the '30s she made three popular movies, ROMAN SCANDALS, HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY!, and GIFT OF GAB, but her career faded as the decade ended. She entertained troops during World War II and enjoyed a brief comeback in the late-'40s.