Hegamin, Lucille (1894–1970)

African-American jazz singer. Born Lucille Nelson in Macon, Georgia, on November 29, 1894; died in New York City on March 1, 1970; married William "Bill" Hegamin (a pianist), in 1914 (divorced 1923).

Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1894, Lucille Nelson first sang in the church choir and local theaters before leaving home at 15 to tour with the Leonard Harper Revue. A few years later, she found herself stranded in Peoria, Illinois, and made her way to Chicago where she performed in various clubs with sidemen Tony Jackson, Jelly Roll Morton, and pianist Bill Hegamin; she married Hegamin around 1914. Lucille moved West with her own band and made an extended appearance in Seattle, Washington. In late 1919, she returned to New York to sing lead and record with the Blue Flame Syncopators, a group that included Charlie Irvis. In 1921, she soloed at The Shuffle Inn and fronted her own Dixie Daisies. From 1926 to 1927, she sang with the Sunnyland Cottonpickers, accompanied by pianist Cyril J. Fullerton. During the 1920s, Hegamin appeared in several Broadway shows, earning the sobriquet "The Cameo Girl." She also worked with George "Doc" Hyder's South-ernaires, before going into semi-retirement. After brief appearances in 1933 and 1934 at the Paradise in Atlantic City, Hegamin became a registered nurse in 1938. During the 1960s, she reappeared at charity events and made one more recording in 1962. Lucille Hegamin's most renowned recordings include "Everybody's Blues" (1920), "Some Early Morning" (1923), and "Number 12"; the latter was featured on her album Basket of Blues (1962).