Fiery Facts About Valaida Snow, The Unsung Jazz Heroine

September 2, 2020 | Paul Pitura

Fiery Facts About Valaida Snow, The Unsung Jazz Heroine


She was one of the most gifted jazz musicians and performers of the 20th century. Her talent was just as immense as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. So why have so few people heard of Valaida Snow? Though this female phenom toured the globe, discrimination ultimately landed her in WW2 Europe. The experience permanently traumatized an already troubled soul. The incredible life of Valaida Snow may have you adding her music to your playlist.


Valaida Snow Facts

1. She Grew Up in a Musical Home

Valaida's childhood home was full of music. Her mother Etta taught the Snow kids to play all kinds of instruments and sing. Meanwhile, Snow's father, JV, put together a group of child performers called the Pickaninny Troubadours. The group performed at vaudeville stages across the South. In other words, it was only a matter of time until Valaida entered show business.

Valaida Snow facts Getty Images

2. She Was A Child Star

Snow performed publicly at the tender age of just four years old. By the time she was five, Valaida was the star of the Pickaninny Troubadours, playing violin and singing. Then, at 15, the young star could play cello, bass, violin, mandolin, banjo, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, accordion and harp. Clearly, the little virtuoso had talent to spare, with the public calling her “Valaida the Great." Snow was ready to climb to the top but sadly, before she got there, she'd have to endure a personal tragedy.

Valaida Snow facts PxHere

3. She Experienced Loss Early in Life

While Valaida was still in her formative teen years, she suffered a terrible loss when her father passed away. With JV Snow's demise, Valaida didn't just lose her dad. She also lost her most precious musical mentor. Once JV breathed his last, no one stepped in to run the vaudeville troupe where Valaida was developing her young talent. Now, she was on her own in the world of show business. As though that wasn't hard enough, because Valaida was a Black woman, the odds of success were stacked high against her.

Crazy funerals factsShutterstock

4. Her Marriage Was a Disaster

Losing her father was incredibly difficult for Valaida, with some music critics arguing that it may have led Snow to her first ill-fated marriage. At just 15 years old, Snow walked down the aisle with Samuel Lewis Lanier. On paper, the couple was a good match since Lanier was also in the entertainment business. But behind closed doors, he was not the kind of man any woman should be with.

William Randolph Hearst factsPixabay

5. Her Husband Was Cruel

In a terrible twist, it turned out that Valaida's first husband was physically abusive. Fortunately, Valaida found a way to leave him. The way their marriage ended, however, would come back to haunt Snow later in life.

Adelaide Hall factsShutterstock

6. She Was A Teen Drifter

At just 17 years old, Valaida was both fatherless and estranged from her cruel husband. This kind of emotional turmoil that would be difficult for anyone, let alone a teenager. But Valaida managed her pain as well as she could. She spent months working in the entertainment world, moving from one gig to another. For the time being, her considerable talent went unnoticed, but things were about to change…

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

7. Trumpet was the Ticket

In 1921, Snow's fortunes changed for the better when she booked a part in the popular revue “Holiday in Dixieland.” While on tour for the show, Snow went to cities like New York for the first time. The show’s pianist recalls how Valaida would dance at the end of the chorus line, but then jump out into the spotlight and stop the show with her extraordinary trumpet playing. With this kind of showmanship, people finally started to notice Snow's undeniable talent. Or they did before her career derailed...

Tab Hunter factsWikimedia Commons

8. She Starred In a Flop

In the early twenties, Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle created the smash-hit musical Shuffle Along. In the years after its debut, the public eagerly awaited a follow-up. It finally came in 1924 and luckily, Valaida Snow snagged a role in the sure-fire hit. There was just one problem: The sequel was a complete flop. The Chocolate Dandies got terrible reviews and closed soon after it opened.

However, even in reviews that slammed the show, writers praised Snow and her co-star Josephine Baker. If she could stand out in something as messy as The Chocolate Dandies, it seemed a life of fame and fortune wasn’t far away.

Josephine Baker FactsGetty Images

9. She Should Have Left

After The Chocolate Dandies, Snow and the iconic Josephine Baker would remain friends for many years. Their connection is part of why, when Baker gained superstardom in Europe, Snow eventually followed. In time, she too abandoned the US for international venues. However, once Snow arrived in Europe, Baker urged her to leave—a warning that Snow did not heed, to her own peril.

Josephine Baker FactsGetty Images

10. She Walked A Hard Road

Snow endured criticisms and put-downs from her male peers, but she had the ability and charisma to turn those snide remarks around. Over time, Snow befriended her once-judgmental colleagues. In the years to come, the people who put her down transformed into her most passionate defenders. In a twist on "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em," Valaida beat her foes, and then they joined her. 

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

11. She Got Compared To An Icon

Despite mastering many instruments, the trumpet was to be Snow’s raison d’etre. She became so famous on the horn that people began to call her “Little Louis” after the great Louis Armstrong. Armstrong himself agreed that Snow was the world’s second-greatest jazz trumpet player in the world (besides himself). But the complimentary comparisons had a downside…

Valaida Snow factsWikipedia

12. She Played In His Shadow

Despite accolades and growing fame and popularity, a glass ceiling developed over this female jazz musician. The public viewed her as a curiosity or a novelty, rather than a musical genius. Yes, fans compared her to the great Louis Armstrong, but this meant that Valaida had to play in his shadow. Critics said she had a “distinctly Armstongian style” and that she “mimicked '' his music. With these kinds of preconceived ideas, it was even harder for Snow to make her mark.

Valaida Snow facts Wikipedia

13. She Wowed The Crowd

Valaida Snow’s 1928 performance at Chicago's Sunset Café is the stuff of music legend. She played trumpet and sang, but she brought the house down with an utterly unique dance. Snow lined up seven different pairs of shoes on the stage and then danced in each while she sang a song. They were soft-shoes, adagio shoes, tap shoes, Dutch clogs, Chinese straw sandals, Turkish slippers, and the last pair, perhaps an homage to her late father, Russian boots. The crowd went wild for her versatility and skill. And one audience member, in particular, took notice…

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

14. She Had A Famous Fan

In the audience, that night at the Sunset Café was none other than Louis Armstrong himself! Armstrong was so enthralled with Snow’s playing, singing and dancing, that he continued to applaud long after the rest of the audience had finished clapping. At the end of her performance, the iconic trumpeter declared, “Boy, I never saw anything that great!” However, Snow had an even more important admirer in the crowd that night too...

Louis Armstrong factsGetty Images

15. She Had a Liaison With a Legend

During her time at the Sunset Café Snow befriended and eventually became intimate with Earl Hines, himself a legendary jazz pianist. Hines shaped the future of jazz piano—and even became Louis Armstrong’s pianist. Sadly, the connection between Hines and Snow wouldn’t last. Snow was committed to her career, and it was leading her far away from the clubs of Chicago and New York.

Valaida Snow facts Wikimedia Commons

16. She Got Her Big Break

In 1931, Snow got a part in the New York musical Rhapsody in Black. Well, actually, "got a part" is putting it lightly. Producers created the musical purely to showcase Snow’s incredible talents. Unsurprisingly, the musical was a major hit, running for 80 shows between May and July. However, the production had a dark side, especially for poor Valaida.

Valaida Snow factsTim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

17. She Had a Famous Rival

Even though Rhapsody in Black was written specifically for Snow, one of her co-stars got the honor of seeing her name in lights. The blues singer and actress Ethel Waters was more famous than Snow, but less talented, so it stung when Snow had to walk to the theater and see an inferior performer's name outranking her own. However, Snow would get her revenge...

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

18. She Made An Enemy

After the end of the musical, the audience decided whose name should lead the production. Going by the strength of their applause, their choice was clear: It was Valaida every time. Snow repeatedly got more adoration from the audience than Waters. These repeated snubs bruised Waters’ ego and in time, fuelled a long-standing rivalry between the two performers.

Valaida Snow facts Shutterstock

19. She Received No Credit

Even off stage, Rhapsody in Black was already a dramatic production. But things got even messier when Snow received a cruel insult from the musical's advertising department. Even though Snow directed the huge band of 60 people, she was shocked to see the credit for all her hard work go to someone else. The band was billed as Pike Davis’s Continental Orchestra. For Snow, this was the last straw. She would branch out on her own and garner the stardom she deserved.

Valaida Snow facts Getty Images

20. She Married a Younger Man

She was 30. He was 19. Scandal was imminent. In the mid-1930s Snow eloped with Ananias Berry, who himself was from a musical family known as the Berry Brothers. It was a scandalous union. During their marriage, they starred in some movies and toured together. However, Snow’s new mother and father in-law were to become a problem.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

21. In-Laws Sabotaged Her Marriage

The fact that their son had gone off and married a much older, flamboyant entertainer mortified Berry’s family, and they publicly shamed Snow whenever they could. But there was an even darker side to this story. According to rumors, Ananias’s father was also romantically interested in Snow. When Snow picked the son instead, he became intent on breaking up the union.

Little did Snow know, her father-in-law wasn't even the real threat. A ghost from her past would soon destroy her new romance.

Valaida Snow facts Getty Images

22. Her Voice Was Unique

Most of the famous female black jazz and blues singers of Valaida's day had sultry, smoky, deep tones (like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan). On the other hand, Snow’s voice was high and nasal. For someone else, that could be a weakness, but Snow wisely used her distinctive voice as a way to set herself apart from her female peers.

Billie Holiday FactsPicryl

23. She Was Accused of Bigamy

Remember Samuel Lewis Lanier, Snow's abusive first husband from when she was just 15 years old? Well, he didn't like that his wife was getting married again. Lanier took Valaida to court and charged her with a jaw-dropping accusation: Bigamy. Seeming more than a little bitter about his ex's success, Lanier claimed that their marriage had never been legally annulled. And if Snow was still Lanier's wife, she couldn't very well go around marrying other men, now could she?

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

24. Her Marriage Suffered

Even though the court acquitted Snow of all charges, the damage was done. Combined with the public outcry over Snow and Ananias's massive age difference, Ananias's father's own, ahem, issues with Snow, and the controversy over Snow's old flame Lanier, and everything was just too stressful for Snow's new marriage to survive. After the trial, she and Ananias parted ways.

Janet Leigh factsShutterstock

25. She Never Found Her Place Stateside

Valaida's personal life wasn't going great. But at least her career was...sadly also not going great. Being a black woman proved to be a barrier to Snow’s success. While her male contemporaries found lucrative, long-term gigs at theatres and clubs in places like Chicago and New York, Snow never got the same perks. Ever the trooper, she made things work. The female virtuoso toured relentlessly and became known as the hardest working woman in show business.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

26. She Ditched the US

During the late 1930s, Snow was mainly touring Europe, following in the footsteps of friend Josephine Baker. Snow herself finally hit her stride there, enjoying her most successful years in London and Paris. While there, she wrote the famous tune “High Hat, Trumpet, and Rhythm" and enjoyed enormous fame. During these happy times, Snow was so popular that the Queen of the Netherlands gave her a gold-plated trumpet.

Josephine Baker FactsGetty Images

27. She Had An Outrageous Side

Snow lived an extravagant lifestyle during her European heyday, riding in orchid colored convertibles with a chauffeur and a servant. She also had a strange pet: a monkey! And if that wasn’t lavish enough, Snow also made all three members of her entourage (her chauffeur, her servant, and of course, her monkey) all dress alike. They wore orchid-colored clothes to match Snow's convertible. It's safe to say that Snow was living the high life, but the good times wouldn't last.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

28. She Struggled

Many famous singers and artist struggle with drug dependency issues, and sadly Valaida Snow was no different. During her greatest periods of success, the multi-talented artist was also struggling with her darkest personal lows. Snow was desperately addicted to the painkiller Oxycodone.

Bela Lugosi factsShutterstock

29. Dark Forces Invaded

In 1941, during Snow's Europe tour, she performed in a string of Copenhagen clubs. However, the concerts turned out to be incredibly dangerous. Earlier, Snow's good friend Josephine Baker had warned her to leave Europe as fast as possible. German forces were preparing to invade and if they stormed Copenhagen when Snow was there, no one could guarantee Valaida's safety. Unfortunately, Snow ignored her friend's warning.

Valaida Snow facts Wikipedia

30. Her Gifts Were Extraordinary

Snow didn't just have perfect pitch. She had the rare ability to write out music in real-time as she heard it. Valaida could reproduce phrases and songs note-for-note after just one hearing.

Valaida Snow facts Wikimedia Commons

31. She Was Captured

Soon enough, Valaida was swept up in the perils of WW2. The Germans did exactly as Baker said they would, invading Copenhagen and spreading panic and terror throughout the city. In the chaos, Snow couldn't make her way out of the city. Instead, after Valaida was captured by the Germans, the talented performer tragically ended up behind bars.

Valaida Snow facts Flickr, Nationalmuseet

32. She Spent More Than a Year as a POW

Valaida Snow went from a globe-trotting superstar to a defeated captive in just eighteen months. We have very little information about this devastating time in Snow's life, but we do know that these months were the darkest time of Snow's entire life.

Valaida Snow facts Personal Column (1939), Speva Films

33. She Was Never the Same

Thankfully, in the spring of 1942, Snow finally left Europe. However, her escape is full of strange details. For example, Snow boarded a ship designated for American refugees and foreign diplomats. So how exactly did Snow, who was imprisoned behind enemy lines, manage to get on the vessel? Most sources say her freedom was part of a negotiated prisoner exchange, but there were rumors of a darker alternative.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

34. She Had a Secret Tryst

Some sources claim that Valaida had a relationship with a Belgian law enforcement official during her time as a captive. He pulled some strings to get Snow aboard.

Valaida Snow facts Wikipedia

35. Her Captivity is Shrouded in Mystery

No matter how Snow got back to New York, when she arrived, she (and her horrific experiences in WW2) made front-page news in Black publications. According to Snow's managers, the Germans imprisoned Snow and subjected her to unfathomable punishments, including starvation and whipping. The chilling story gripped the public. However, as time passed, people began to ask questions about Snow's tale.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

36. She Became Musical Royalty

W.C. Handy himself, now known as the Father of the Blues, dubbed Snow the "Queen of the Trumpet." The impressive moniker often appeared under her name on her records.

Valaida Snow facts Shutterstock

37. Mysteries Swirled

Over time, Snow’s story of internment at a concentration camp became more implausible. Facts and dates changed and the press started reporting that the story was simply made up. Historians now agree Copenhagen authorities took Snow in for petty theft and drug use. Valaida then spent time in a city slammer and a hospital. Instead of being imprisoned by the Germans, the Danes decided to keep her in custody to protect Snow from the invading forces.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

38. There Were Lies Upon Lies

Author and researcher Jayna Brown later revealed that eight months after her arrest, Snow gave an interview to a provincial newspaper Randers Amtsavis. According to Brown, while Snow sipped coffee at a high-end Copenhagen hotel, the singer admitted that her stay in Copenhagen was comfortable. In fact, she chose to remain there of her own accord and was in no way imprisoned. However, this version of events didn't satisfy suspicious minds either, and for good reason.

Valaida Snow facts Wikimedia Commons

39. Denmark Changed Her Forever

The story of her imprisonment may have been a publicity ploy, but something terrible must have happened to Valaida Snow in Europe during those 18 months. Whether it was her addictions, her incarceration, or how she was treated at the hands of her captors, when Snow returned to America she was a shell of her former self. Some said that when Snow got back to the US, she weighed less than 100 pounds.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

40. A Former Lover Insulted Her

Snow still performed upon returning to American soil, with gigs in New York’s Apollo Theatre and other major venues, but it wasn’t the same. The spark was gone and her ability to wow and captivate audiences had vanished. Her former lover Earl Hines was in the audience for one show in 1943, and he remarked that he barely recognized the woman on the stage, the same woman he had been intimate with years before.

Valaida Snow facts Wikimedia Commons

41. She Married Her Manager

Valaida Snow walked down the aisle for the third and final time in 1943. This time, her groom wasn't a cruel teenager or a scandalously younger man. Instead, it seems that Snow had a workplace romance. She tied the knot with Earle Edwards, who was a fellow musician and, because Snow seemingly couldn't marry an uncontroversial man, Snow’s own manager. No conflicts of interest here!

Pocahontas FactsShutterstock

42. She Needed a Comeback

It seems that for Snow, the third time was the charm. She and Edwards had a stable marriage, with the couple moving to Los Angeles shortly after their wedding. Despite all Snow's challenges and her now-stalling career, Valaida still used her time and talent to mentor young jazz musicians in LA’s Central Avenue clubs. Thanks to Snow's involvement, the area transformed into an important jazz scene. Sadly, she wouldn't enjoy her achievement for long.

Adelaide Hall factsShutterstock

43. The Final Curtain Rose

May 30, 1956. New York City. Finally, after years of struggle, imprisonment, addictions, and cruel stereotypes, Valaida sees her own name in bright lights. On the marquee of the famed Palace Theater, "Valaida Snow" made her last stand. During the incredible performance, a shocking twist made the crowd gasp. While on stage, Snow suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. After being rushed from the stage, she breathed her last behind the thick velvet curtains. She was 51 years old.

Valaida Snow facts Wikipedia

44. Her Burial Was Heartbreaking

Three days later, Snow was buried in the place where she was born, Chattanooga Tennessee, in the Greenwood Cemetery. She was put to rest on June 2, 1956. Had she lived, the day would have marked Snow's 52nd birthday.

Brittany Murphy FactsPixabay

45. Her Legacy Went Up In Flames

Unfortunately, Snow’s recordings are few and far between, and often don’t capture the energy and wow-factor of her storied performances. All we have today are a few films and audio clips. The main reason for this scarcity was a massive 2008 fire at Universal Studios. The blaze destroyed Valaida's precious master recordings.

Valaida Snow factsWikipedia

46. She Went Unsung

Even though Snow's status in the jazz and blues worlds was legendary, sadly, she never succeeded in the mainstream. It seemed that society had trouble accepting that a woman, and a Black woman at that, could be such a musical powerhouse. Black newspapers covered her every move, especially when she returned from Europe, but her only mention in the New York Times occurred on May 21, 1949 in a short, one-paragraph review at the bottom of the eighth page.

Valaida Snow facts Tim Reid Presents: The Legacy Documentary Series, Valaida Snow: Queen of the Trumpet, New Millennium Studios

47. She Finally Got Her Due

Tragically, when Snow passed, the press barely mentioned the enormous loss that the musical world had just endured. But eventually, Snow would get the send off she truly deserved. In February of 2020, a whopping 64 years after Snow blew her last note, the New York Times ran a lengthy obituary that finally honored the one and only Valaida Snow.

Valaida Snow facts Shutterstock

48. Her Name Has An Unexpected Meaning

But wait. Just hust how does a little Tennessee girl end up being named "Valaida" in the first place? It's kind of a weird story. It turns out that Snow's father was obsessed with Russia. He named his first-born daughter "Valada" after the Russian city of Vladivostok. Later, Valaida added the “i” to help people pronounce her name correctly (val-AY’-dah).

Valaida Snow facts Wikipedia

49. Her Birth Is Mysterious

Here's a little quibble in Snow's obituary. To this day, it's hard to tell exactly how old she was because Valaida Snow's birthday is still a mystery. People estimate her birth as occurring anywhere 1900–09, with most agreeing on the year of 1904.

Valaida Snow facts Shutterstock

50. Remember Her Name

Decades after her life, Valaida Snow is slowly getting the respect she so deserved when she was alive. Authors of black and music history are discovering this rare talent, and digging deeper into her life and her music, realizing she was so much more than “Little Louis.” She bravely fought discrimination, drug addiction and abusive relationships and forged a musical career any way she could. Valaida Snow may have ranked right up there with Armstrong, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington if it weren’t for a twist of fate and bad timing that silenced this charismatic performer forever.

Valaida Snow facts Getty Images

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,  44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49


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