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Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Hall
American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer
1
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
American-born French dancer, singer, and actress (1906-1975)
2
Harry Champion
Harry Champion
British musician and comedian
3
Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
British singer (1917-2020)
4
Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
American jazz musician, band leader
5
Petula Clark
Petula Clark
British actress and singer
6
Al Jolson
Al Jolson
American entertainer, actor, and singer (1886-1950)
7
Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
English singer, comedian and actress (1870–1922)
8
Little Tich
Little Tich
English music hall comedian
9
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Australian singer, songwriter, and actress; naturalized American citizen
10
Carole King
Carole King
American singer and songwriter
11
Mary Ellis
Mary Ellis
American opera singer (1897-2003)
12
Becky Taylor
Becky Taylor
British singer
13
Ella Retford
Ella Retford
14
Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
British actress, singer and comedian (1898–1979)
15
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress
16
Lena Horne
Lena Horne
American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer (1917-2010)
17
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Canadian musician
18
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
American country music singer and actress
19
Dan Leno
Dan Leno
English music hall singer; comedian
20
Dan Emmett
Dan Emmett
American entertainer
21
Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton
British band leader and impresario
22
Ani Di Franco
Ani Di Franco
American singer-songwriter
23
Vesta Tilley
Vesta Tilley
English music hall performer and male impersonator
24
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
New Zealand singer
25
Madonna
Madonna
American singer and songwriter
26
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
American blues singer
27
Tate McRae
Tate McRae
Canadian singer and dancer
28
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Scottish singer and songwriter
29
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Australian singer
30
Diana Ross
Diana Ross
American vocalist, music artist and actress
31
Debbie Gibson
Debbie Gibson
American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress
32
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
British singer-songwriter
33
Letty Lind
Letty Lind
British actor and dancer
34
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
British soprano, musical theatre actress, and dancer
35
Tina Turner
Tina Turner
American-born singer, dancer, actress, and author; naturalized Swiss citizen
36
Anita Harris
Anita Harris
British singer and actress (1942)
37
Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
American actress and singer
38
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Welsh classical crossover singer
39
K. T. Oslin
K. T. Oslin
American musician
40
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
American-Canadian singer and songwriter
41
Patsy Montana
Patsy Montana
American country music singer-songwriter
Intro
Genres

May Henderson (13 November 1884–28 September 1937) was an English music hall singer, dancer, and blackface comedienne, billed as "The Dusky Queen".

She was born in Bury, Lancashire, the daughter of Britton Henderson, a comedian and clog dancer who was a member of the Henderson and Stanley Quartette. Her parents toured as music hall performers, and May first appeared on stage as a solo performer in Newcastle in 1897. By 1900, she became a popular performer in blackface, unusual for a woman at the time. She appeared in shows and pantomimes in London and around the country, with songs such as "I Love a White Man".

James Agate said of her: "Her wit is not near the knuckle. It is the knuckle itself.... Her joking may be occasionally concerned with foul things, but it is never indecent... In addition to its humour, the performance of this artist is of the highest technical excellence...". Another reviewer described her as "unrivalled" as a "coon impersonator". She also performed "My Sweetheart is the Double-Bass Viol", in which she "indulges in amorous gestures to members of the orchestra who is playing the instrument to which she refers". One obituary said of her that, "with her step-dancing and quick wits, she only just missed becoming a top-liner".

She married fellow performer Bert Jee in 1907; they had two children. She continued to perform throughout the First World War, and visited wounded soldiers. She was engaged as a blackface entertainer for some years afterwards, before retiring in 1932. With her husband, she managed pubs at Walton-on-Thames and at Birchington near Margate in Kent.

She died in Camberwell, London, in 1937, aged 52.