LEOMINE GRAY
Leomine Adlares (or Adlores) Lewis was born on December 2, 1919 in Victoria TX where her father ran his own tailor’s shop. By the time of the 1930 Census the family had moved to Tulsa OK where Noah Lewis continued in the same line of business. It is likely that she met her future husband, tenor- and alto-sax player, Hunter Gray, in Tulsa. He was born in Boydton VA on December 28, 1913 but in the 1920 census, when he was six, he was living in Antelope Township, Logan County, OK where his father, Fred D. Gray was band master at Langston University. In 1924-6 (1) the family was in Topeka KS where Fred was band master at Kansas Vocational School. I have not located them in the 1930 Census but in the Tulsa City Directory of 1935 Hunter Gray is listed as a musician. He married Leomine in Tulsa on December 19, 1939. By the time of the 1940 Census he was still in Tulsa, though I can find no trace of Leomine in that census. Hunter had been with Eddie Hill and his Bostonians (2), one of the leading territory bands in Arkansas and Oklahoma, in c. 1936 and with Eddie Carson’s band (3) in the following year - his brother Henry played trumpet in the same band. By 1939 he was in Ernie Field’s Orchestra (which was based in Tulsa) and probably recorded with them for Vocalion. He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, giving his occupation as “Ernie Fields.”
The war years are a blank but The California Eagle of February 28, 1945 reports Leomine Gray and the Hunter Gray Trio as appearing at the North Pole Club on Eighth Street in Oakland. They had a long residency at the Last Word Cafe in Los Angeles in the early months of 1946 and then at the Zanzibar in Sacramento from October 1946 to March 1947.
Then, after a short engagement at The Cave in San Bernardino, it was back to the Last Word from April to October of 1947, with another stint at The Cave in July (where she was advertised as being "Direct from Billie [sic; recte Billy] Berg's" [in Hollywood.]). Later that month they returned to the Zanzibar and were there until January of 1948, though perhaps not continuously as a report in The Pittsburg Courier of December 13, 1947 said that they were “currently breaking all box-office records at Blackshear’s in San Francisco.” In July of 1948 they did a week at the Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles (also on the bill were the Ravens and Johnny Otis’ band) and the report of that appearance said they had “recently completed a sock four weeks engagement at the New Orleans club, San Francisco.”
Gertrude Gipson’s report of the Million Dollar Theatre show in The California Eagle of July 8, 1948 p. 14 demands quotation in full (4):
THE MOST TALENTED fingers in the kingdom of swing are those of Leomine Gray, who is featured with the Hunter Gray trio. The outfit recently concluded a terrific week at the Million Dollar theatre with the famed Ravens and Johnny Otis band. Miss Gray does everything to a piano but make it stand up and whistle "Nature Boy." Her style of playing is refreshing, and she's as talented as she is lovely! Don’t take our word for it, you've got eyes. SO HAVE I ! ! !
Leomine Gray Brightest Star On Musical Horizon
Each week the Million Dollar theatre keeps topping its previous session with a sock flesh package, but the lineup of the Ravens, Johnny Otis’ band and the Hunter Gray trio, which closed the other Tuesday will be a tough one to beat. And that Hunter Gray trio with Leomine Gray on piano. Wow!
The Hunter Gray trio, who recently completed a sock four weeks engagement at the New Orleans club, San Francisco, is made up of Tony Gunn, drums, Hunter, Sax and Leomine Gray, pianist and vocals. Of all the dolls who have zoomed across the musical horizon in a blaze of glory during the year 1948, Miss Gray is without a doubt the most refreshing. Somewhat on a Hazel Scott kick, Miss Gray plays more piano with her left hand than La Scott does with both of hers. For personality, she'll make Dorothy Donegan take a back set, which is saying a lot as I consider Miss Donegan to have personality plus. This Gray gal, who authored the Sherman Williams hit, ‘Hello,” is a tall, very attractive brownskin lass who needs only to be discovered by a talent scout to get the one big break her playing rates. Her slick salesmanship and youthful personality is a solid click wherever the Hunter Gray trio plays.
Gray himself (who is very lucky to be married to one so charming and talented as Leomine) is a top saxist having formerly played with some of the country's leading dance orchestras. He formed his trio a few months ago and with Gunn beating them skins Mrs. Gray's little boy Hunter can just sit back and relax and wait as they're bound to be "discovered." They play too much music not to be. As for Leomine, well . . . remember that name as you'll be hearing plenty about her one of these not-too-distant days. I don't know which I would rather do, listen to her play the piano or kiss her. Musically, that's a compliment!
In the late spring of 1946 “Leona Gray,” singer and pianist recorded four titles, backed by a band led by Que Martyn, which were issued on two Trilon singles (5). This is almost certainly Leomine Gray. On November 5, 1947 The California Eagle reported that “(t)he Hunter Gray Trio will fly to Hollywood to cut several records” and The Indianapolis Recorder of January 31, 1948 said that “(t)he group which recently signed to record for Aladdin Records, makes flying trips between Sacramento and Hollywood to cut platters.” If these recordings were ever made there appears to be no evidence that they were ever issued (6).
In July 1948 they were at The Cave once more; in August they opened at Blanco’s Cotton Club in San Francisco and later in the month they appeared at the Arabian Nights on Pacific Street, but it would appear that, for whatever reason, Leomine went out on her own as the fifties loomed. A report in The Pittsburg Courier of September 3, 1949 on Eddie (Rochester) Anderson’s road show at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio said that “Leomine Gray, a petite miss from Tulsa, Oklahoma, gave a performance on the ivories that would lead one to believe she was listening to the late George Gershwin when she rendered her version of the late composer’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Miss Gray, who has been calling San Francisco her home since ’39, joined the show shortly after its organisation.” The San Antonio Light of August 24, 1949 had reported that “Leomine Gray, piano stylist” had been added to the roster and the following day included in its review of the “erratic revue” a description of her act: “Leomine Gray piano-accompanied her own crooning of “Little Joe” and then stood at the piano to put “Rhapsody in Blue” through a variety of paces.”
She was back in home territory in late 1950 when she appeared at the Mardi Gras in Oakland (The Oakland Tribune December 13, 1950), at the Say When in San Francisco (San Francisco Examiner March 14, 1952), at the Cable Car Village in San Francisco (San Francisco Examiner July 12, 1952), and at the Clayton Club in Sacramento (The Sacramento Bee August 30, 1952) as “Leomine Gray and Rhythmeers” . On January 1, 1953 the same paper shows “The Sensational Singing Pianist Leomine Gray and her Trio” at the same venue, and an ad for the Downbeat Club in The Independent (Long Beach) offered “Leomine Gray on Tour 36 Weeks with Louis Jordan.” In January 1954 the “Sensational Singing Queen of the Piano” and her trio were in Slim Jenkins’ club in Oakland (7). The reporter in the Daily Review of January 23 commented that “(t)he way Leomine plays, “Don’t Take Your Love From Me” sends me.”
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In mid-1957 she was advertised as appearing nightly at Sally’s Club Drake in Fairfax, but after that the trail goes cold - in 1975 she re-married (Hunter having died in 1960), becoming Leomine Foster and on September 27, 1997 she died in San Francisco. On May 12, 1985 KPFA broadcast an interview with her; in the summary of the programme (https://archive.org/stream/kpfafoliomay85paci/kpfafoliomay85paci_djvu.txt) it is said that she was “on the comeback trail after dropping out of music in 1960” and that “[i]n this 30-minute feature, she speaks of her life in music, plays some swinging piano, and delivers some soulful, Billie Holiday-influenced vocals.” However I have found no evidence that she did in fact resume her career.
Notes:-
(1) The family is listed in the Kansas State Census of 1925 and Fred is included in the Topeka City Directories of 1924 and 1926.
(2) Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, Kansas City Jazz (2005) 252.
(3) Peter Vacher, Swingin’ on Central Avenue (2015) 256.
(4) Misprints have been silently corrected.
(5) Trilon 121 was listed among “Advance Record Releases” in The Billboard June 29, 1946 p. 30.
(6) I have seen a publicity photo of Leomine on which “Leomine Gray and Hunter Gray Trio” are described as “Columbia Recording Artists” but I cannot discover that she ever had records issued by Columbia.
(7) A photo of the Hunter Gray Trio signed by Tony Gunn to Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins and said to show them at Slim Jenkins' club can be found at https://oakland.access.preservica.com/file/sdb%3AdigitalFile%7Cb408f1d3-0695-4830-8913-45cdaeb232ba/.