Monette Moore was never well-known, even though she recorded a lot in the 1920s. However, her voice was very pleasant and she was a versatile blues and swing singer. Moore was born in Kansas City, and moved to New York in early 1920s. During this decade, Moore worked in several cities (including Chicago and Dallas) and sang regularly at Small’s Paradise Ten with Charlie Johnson. Moore also recorded several songs with Johnson between 1927 and 28 (including “You Ain’t the One”, “Don’t You Love Me Here”). Moore continued to work steadily through the 1930s and 1940s, even though the blues were less popular during the Depression. She was also Ethel Waters’ understudy for three years. Moore was primarily a performer in New York, Chicago (including Zinky Cohn’s 1937 show) and Hollywood. She returned to New York in 1942, where she worked with Sammy Price and Sidney Bechet. In November 1942 she settled permanently in Los Angeles. Moore was a regular at L.A. nightclubs and featured on James P. Johnson’s Sugar Hill show. She also played small roles in a few Hollywood movies. Moore spent the majority of her 1950s in non-musical roles, except for a few small ones. Moore recorded 44 songs during 1923-1927 as a leader, plus three alternate takes under the pseudonym Susie Smith; her sidemen included Tommy Ladnier and Jimmy O’Bryant and Jimmy Blythe. Moore also cut two songs apiece in 1932 (duets featuring Fats Waller), 1936, and six from 1945 to 47. Moore died from heart attack in his last job, which was to work with the Young Men of New Orleans at Disneyland between 1961 and 1962. Allmusic
