ANN NICHOLS

xx

Hallo Dieter,
......... ein tolles Girl ............

Aus dem Netz:
Pittsburgh Courier, August 28, 1954:
Off the Cuff...Lionel Hampton believes times have changed enough for him to risk taking his pretty white headliner, Ann Nichols, on his next Southern tour...

Pittsburgh Courier, September 11, 1954:
Lionel Hampton, the jazz king, is featuring his white singer-dancer, Ann Nichols, and his Latin "find," who answers to the name of "Miss Brazil," on his current tour of Dixie...

Pittsburgh Courier, September 25, 1954:
... Speaking of bright stars in the Hampton firmament, Ann Nichols deserves a conspicuous seat near the king himself. The guys and gals here are still raving about "the shape with the shake" and all the talent. A number of people thought she was one of us. Her swarthy complexion and undiluted frenetic rhythm had them fooled...

New York Age, October 2, 1954: Hampton's Tour Of Dixie With Ann Nichols Socko
HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.—On the eve of their departure for a long booked tour to Europe, Lionel Hampton's big band and variety show can well be hailed as having "broken the ice" in the deep south. After leaving beautiful young Ann Nichols behind on several tours of the south during the past two years, he invaded "Dixie" with her as his star headliner, on the stage with his band, and nothing unpleasant happened.
To the contrary, the whites were so thrilled over the unusual sight of a shapely beauty singing, dancing, and playing the piano at the same time that, if they had any bias, they must have forgotten it. Excerpts from her letter follows, "We have just returned from our two-week southern tour, and I just loved it. The people were just wonderful. I went to Durham, N.C., Charleston, W.Va., Roanoke, Va., also Indiana, Ohio, and back home. I made so many friends down there that I can hardly wait to play a return engagement."
"Thank you so much for that beautiful write-up you gave Lionel and me. He just loved it. You certainly are a good friend to do such kind things, but I suppose that's what makes good friends. I'm terribly tired now, as I have just finished answering all my back mail. But now I can sleep with a clear mind, as I'm 'straight now'".

Additional Research From Marv Goldberg:
In October 1954, she went to Europe with Hampton, so I was able to find her on a ship manifest. Her real name was Dolores Ann Nicholas, the daughter of John Nicholas (born in Italy) and Palma Clair Gianattasio (born in New York). Her mother accompanied her to Europe. Dolores was born on June 28, 1931 in Brooklyn.
She appears all over the place for a while, but there doesn't seem to be a single mention of her after 1956 (although she did have a record on Tuxedo in 1958).
She was still alive in November 1980 when her father died. Ann Nichols married Joseph M. Keeler in Brooklyn in 1983 as Dolores Ann Nicholas. When her sister, Joan, died in 1992, she was Dolores Keeler. She could still be alive, I guess.

Gruß
Heino