Helen Oakley Dance

Who was Helen Oakley Dance?

Helen Margaret Oakley Dance, née Oakley was a jazz journalist, producer, historian, and musician. She is perhaps best known for production and for her biography of T-Bone Walker. She was married to critic Stanley Dance for over 50 years.

Born into a wealthy Canadian family in Toronto, Ontario, she capped-off her "coming out" as a debutante by attending a Duke Ellington concert . A jazz enthusiast from an early age, she made efforts to become a singer, however had more success as a journalist and producer. Her first act of note in jazz history was in introducing Teddy Wilson to the Benny Goodman Orchestra. She later made other efforts to help interracial music collaboration, and was the host of significant parties and concerts for the jazz world.

She also produced much of Duke Ellington's small band work in the late 1930s. When issued, these records were usually credited to Ellington's sidemen Cootie Williams, Barney Bigard, Rex Stewart or Johnny Hodges, in order to differentiate them from the big band sound associated with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Notable among these recordings are Bigard's original hit version of "Caravan", and jazz classics such as Hodges' "Jeep's Blues" and Williams' "Dooji Wooji".