James strecker

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Speedy deletion nomination of Ceil Clayton

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A tag has been placed on Ceil Clayton requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section A7 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because the article appears to be about a person or group of people, but it does not credibly indicate how or why the subject is important or significant: that is, why an article about that subject should be included in an encyclopedia. Under the criteria for speedy deletion, such articles may be deleted at any time. Please read more about what is generally accepted as notable.

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James strecker (talk) 19:31, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

Uploading in correct format (below information) I want to post on a person, please read and let me know if I did this right

Hi James strecker, the best option for you would be to create the article as a draft here. Put what you have written below and then drop me a message on my talk page and i can give it a once over before its submitted for review. Amortias (T)(C) 20:12, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

Message on my talk page for you. Amortias (T)(C) 20:00, 28 February 2016 (UTC)

Ceil Clayton

Birth name: Cecilia Rita Cournoyer Married name: Cecilia R. Strecker Second Marriage name: Cecilia R. Buck Show name: Ceil Clayton

Born - January 15, 1925 in New Bedford, Massachusetts

Died - June 23, 1997 in St. Louis, Missouri

Piano player and vocalist jazz singer, Ceil Clayton was known by many as the world's greatest Piano Bar singer. She sang everything from old standards and cabaret music to light jazz and current hits. She was loved and treasured for her unique artistry on the piano and her vocal interpretations – she made every song original with her style and personality. Ceil’s music engaged audiences and fellow musicians alike, which brought them back for more.

Background

1925-1943

Born to parents who immigrated from Quebec Canada and met in New Bedford, Massachusetts USA, Ceil was raised in New Bedford. Ceil was the youngest of 11 children. All her siblings were named for saints, but Ceil was named for St. Cecelia, the patron saint of music. This was perhaps the earliest indication that music would be a dominant force in her life. An often heard family story was that Ceil’s parents would admonish her sisters to not bother her to clean up after dinner because she was busy practicing on the piano. Ceil’s siblings did not mind this, as she was the youngest (her older sisters were old enough to be her mother), and she was loved by all for her sparkle and talent.

Ceil’s father was a carpenter and a farmer; her mother was a weaver working in the textile factories. After initial years on a farm, the family moved into a large old home in New Bedford with many bedrooms for their large family. The parents also took in boarders to help supplement income, especially during the Great Depression years. Ceil’s room was not much larger than a closet, but she loved that it was over the stairs in the front of the house with a small window where she could see everyone coming and going from the house.

Ceil’s interest in the piano began at an early age. She was taught piano by the Catholic Sisters. She performed for her family, friends, the church, at school performances and on the radio.

One of her early childhood recognitions was in a newspaper article in the New Bedford Sunday Standard Times (Nov. 21, 1937), with the headline of “Saint Anne's to Present Live Radio Concert Nov 27th; Piano Solo by Ceil Cournoyer, 12yrs old, will be special feature of the Program:

Solfeggietto, (Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel) a piano solo, will be played by 12-year-old Cecilia Cournoyer as the feature of the broadcast. The broadcast will be on Radio Station WNBH from 11:30 to Noon. Cecilia is a versatile entertainer and is experiencing her 4th year on the air. At the age of 8 years, she began with the "Uncle Ted's Club" a children's program sponsored by the Radio Station and she first appeared with the Junior-Standard group as a soloist. In other appearances she has given recitations, vocal solos, taking part in plays, and played the violin also in school orchestra. For two years she served as accompanist for the Theater of the Air. Her gift in piano runs from classical to jazz. She plays by sight and ear and able to transpose compositions. She has been a pupil of the school since kindergarten and now in the 7th grade. She has been taking piano lessons since she was 7 years old. Her ambitions are to be a music teacher and concert pianist.

1940's

Ceil graduated in 1943 from Holy Family High School, New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Class of 1943 Yearbook, called ‘The Maria’, says she completed a general course of studies after Holy Family Grammar School. Her nickname was ‘Cil’. The entry next to her high school photo said: This expressive little French girl was a most necessary member in our class. She proved her dramatic ability in ‘A King’s Ransom’. Always dependable and cooperative, she successfully directed our Senior Victory Play. Being a very busy girl, Cil finds little time for hobbies except sewing and, of course, her music. She belonged to the French Club and the Book Club. We have all witnessed her exceptional musical talent and wish her success in her studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. Photo caption: To be loved needs only to be seen.

Ceil received a 6-month scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She left home to live, study and work in Boston, even though it was not typically accepted for an 18-year old woman to do so in those times. While at the Conservatory she played in Boston nightclubs, including being featured from 8/26 to 10/29/1944 at ‘Boston Latin Quarter’, a popular club at 46 Winchester Street. For these early performances she went under the name Cecile Rita. Times were tough and Ceil sent home some of her earnings to help her family. She did not complete more than one semester of studies in the conservatory due to financial limitations and the difficulty of being a full-time student while working at night to earn needed money. Ceil also entertained in many places with the USO and an article in the 1944 Daily Record showed a photo of her with a caption that she was writing and sending 30 letters a week to her hometown boys now in the service.

Ceil and her husband, Edward R. Strecker, met first after he heard her sing and play the piano in a Boston nightclub. Ed was in the U.S. Army and stationed briefly in Boston during the war. They married on Jan. 25, 1945 and then when the Army transferred Ed, they moved to California. As an Army officer, he was the Quartermaster over the kitchens for all at Fort McDowell on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. In 1946, after the war ended and Ed was discharged from the army, Ceil and Ed with baby Betty moved to St Louis, which was Ed’s hometown. They initially lived in the South St. Louis apartment house of their Uncle Gus, and then nearby with Ed’s parents, Reinhold and Helena Strecker. Ceil and Ed worked in Reinhold Strecker Market on 3174 South Grand Blvd. until Ed opened his own grocery store. Ceil once shared that she helped in her in-laws’ store by plucking chickens in the back, although she was not too enthusiastic for this task. Ceil and Ed had three children - Betty, Peggy and Jimmy.

1950-60's

Ceil began performing part-time as a musician/vocalist. As Ed became involved with the Moolah Shriners in St. Louis, Ceil volunteered to play piano for the Shriner Choristers and other charitable events. Eventually Ceil returned to performing full-time on the piano and singing in nightclubs all around St. Louis, as well as for St. Louis events and private parties. Ceil chose to create a shorter ‘show’ name, and her husband suggested ‘Ceil Clayton’ (possibly to align with the prestige of the community of Clayton in St. Louis, and to flow well from her first name). In 1963, Ceil was diagnosed with lung cancer. Surgery to remove a lung was successful with no follow-up medical treatments. This was during the time she sang at ‘Mister D’s’ piano bar in Gaslight Square. As she recovered over the summer at home on her patio, many friends and fans visited her. In an article in The Greater Saint Louis Magazine (May 6, 1966; ‘The Double Life of Ceil Clayton’), she shared that it was a good summer,I spent that whole summer out on the patio, with an outdoor speaker connected to my radio and hi-fi…as my disk jockey friends plugged my new record album, and waving to the golfers on the golf course that backed up to our home. Russ David, a member of Greenbriar Hills Country Club, would come over and chat right in the middle of his golf game”. Ceil returned to singing and performing for the rest of her life. After she left her job at Gaslight Square, she performed at the piano bar in the Merry-Go-Round room at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in 1966, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. five nights a week.

Ceil Clayton performing in Gaslight Square, St. Louis: The hey-days of Gaslight Square were from 1959 to 1964, with an area of assorted bars, restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries, offices and apartments. After a tornado hit St. Louis on February 10, 1959, rebuilding of the earlier trendy area called Greenwich Corners brought new venues, artists and jazz musicians. Former St. Louis mayor A. J. Cervantes called Gaslight Square one of St Louis’s greatest attractions, saying “New York has its Times Square, New Orleans its French Quarter, San Francisco its Fisherman’s Wharf, but only St. Louis has Gaslight Square” (B. Friedman, The Art of Living in St. Louis, June/July, 1993). The cultural explosion of the area brought emerging new talent to the area including entertainers such as Woody Allen, Phyllis Diller, The Smothers Brothers and Barbara Streisand. Although later publications about Gaslight Square gave much attention to the national talent that was launched in Gaslight Square, it was the local musicians who performed 5 to 6 nights a week in the 36 taverns and nine restaurants in the area that were the mainstay for Gaslight Square. Ceil Clayton was one of these local talents who nourished and sustained this hip St. Louis entertainment center.

Ceil performed from 1961/62 until 1965 “at Mister D’s (460 North Boyle, just off of Olive Street), which was the entertainment mecca’s popular gathering place for the more sophisticated crowd” (Saint Louis Magazine, 1966). At this popular nightspot she “demonstrated her vast repertoire, playing the almost-forgotten songs and singing the favorites of the day” (Jazz on the River, August 1997). In the Bob Goddard column ‘In our Town’ on June 22, 1962 in the St. Louis Globe Democrat newspaper, Bob says, “Ceil Clayton, entertainer deluxe, is one of the reasons Mr. D’s restaurant and cocktail lounge in Gaslight Square is a thriving rendezvous for bon vivants. Along with playing a vibrant piano during her nightly 4 to 5 hour stints, she sings up a storm and leads the group warbling of the folks out front. Her personality is as warm as toast, and she makes new friends in no time at al – and keeps all the old ones”.

1970-90's

In the St. Louis Globe Democrat newspaper on Sept. 9, 1970, Bob Goddard reported on Ceil’s activities in his column, ‘In our Town’. Bob said, Many nighteries’ have been singing the blues here of late, but not Yacovelli’s Side Door on 9949 Big Bend, which is luring bon vivants in droves ‘nowanights’ for one of the best reasons I know – the inimitable Ceil Clayton, who’s presiding at the piano with her highly-varied piano repertoire of old and new ditties plus “Sing Along with Ceil” sessions. A charmer who could bring the Hatfields and the McCoys together and turn it into a laugh-in, Ceil is known far and wide hereabouts as an entertainer who is guaranteed to make happy music at the cash register. I don’t know whether there is such a thing as an official Ceil Clayton Fan Club, but don’t worry about it. Unofficially, she has more fans than you can count.

Ceil performed in numerous nightclubs, social functions and conventions throughout St. Louis. She performed solo, and at times as a trio with bass and drums. She was particularly known for her talents singing in a piano bar. Fans would come to hear Ceil, and also take the microphone to sing or play along with their own musical instruments. Ceil’s piano-playing would make you sound wonderful. And when you arrived at the lounge, Ceil would not miss a beat to weave in a hello into the song’s words, and then play one of your favorite songs.

When Ceil was 48 years old, her husband Ed died from a heart attack (April, 1972). Ceil continued her music career, and remarried in 1985 to George Buck, who played keyboards and banjo and was her number one fan. As a retiree George drove Ceil with her musical equipment to her many musical performances, as well as at times performing along with her. George died just six months after Ceil died. After her husband Ed died, Ceil occasionally travelled abroad to perform. Ceil was invited to open the King’s Court Bar at the Sheraton Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1975. She also opened the first piano bar at the Bristol Hotel in Oslo, Norway.

Then in 1996, her lung cancer returned. Her last performance was on February 3, 1997 at the Third Annual Ed Stemmler Memorial Concert at the Union Avenue Christian Church. Ceil had already stopped performing at her regular gigs and many were unaware that she had terminal cancer. As a special performing guest for the concert, she played the piano and sang as always in her inimitable style. The announcement of the concert said,Pianist/Vocalist Ceil Clayton’s sultry vocalizing, along with her jazz piano stylings, rank her among the country’s premier cabaret performers The concert included Terry Thompson and his Sultans of Dixie, and was emceed by Don Wolff, the KMOX RADIO Saturday Night Jazz Show host known as the St. Louis Ambassador of Jazz.

Ceil died in her Kirkwood home, in St. Louis on June 23, 1997. The August 1997 publication of the St. Louis Jazz Club, Jazz on the River, dedicated their issue to the memory of Ceil Clayton. Editor Don Spiegel writes, Ceil was truly a great entertainer and was respected and cherished by all who came in contact with her

In 2005 the first digital production of Gaslight Square musicians appeared, In the Afterglow – the Music of Historic Gaslight Square (Gaslight Records label). The album was a re-release of original songs from the initial vinyl album recorded four decades ago, “A Musical Tour of Gaslight Square” (Norman Records label), plus a few songs first appearing on a recording. According to Sauce Magazine (July 2005), that original album was 'the finest example of the nightlife that blossomed in midtown St. Louis during the late ‘50s and early ‘60s.' Dan Warner, then owner of Webster Records and Gaslight Records, found original soundtracks with the musicians. Ceil’s music was recorded live while playing at the Merry-Go-Round room. Dan says,the thing that surprised me the most was Ceil Clayton. You could hear the banter back and forth with the audience and her. And you could also see the graciousness, how she carried herself with the audience. That told me about the person and the ambiance that you got when you went to Gaslight Square. The chance that you were walking into someone’s living room and they were welcoming you from stage, as a friend. That’s what Gaslight had, these intimate settings, especially in the early years. There were people going three, four, five times a week.

Various Musical venues for Ceil Clayton performances:

St. Louis, Missouri:

The Victorian Club

King Brothers Motel cocktail lounge on Lindbergh Blvd. north of Clayton Road

Garavelli, the Sabadell’s New Orleans Room on DeBaliviere Ave. at DeGiverville Ave. Ceil performed nightly on the piano (1950)

Tic Tac Tap, an intimate bar and lounge at 421 DeBelviere Ave. (1950)

Hotel Broadview’s St. Clair Lounge in St. Louis (1950)

La Place de Saint Louis in Hilton Inn nat 10330 Natural Bridge Rd.

Mister D’s of Gaslight Square (from 1961/62 to 1965)

Women’s Variety Club Annual ‘Fun for Funds Frolic’ at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, March 25, 1963

Chase Park Plaza Hotel – the Merry Go Round room (starting in 1966)

Marty Bronson Pulitzer Show (1966)

KSD TV and radio shows (1966)

Jefferson City Ramada Inn (1966)

Charlotte Peters Radio and TV Show (1966)

Lodge of the Four Seasons 1967-68

Hilton Hotel (1967)

Guild Hotels - Colony (1967)

Parkway House (1967)

Russ David Hotel Jefferson (1968)

Bath & Tennis Club (1968)

Hilton Inn (1968)

Warson Country Club (1968)

El Dorado (1968)

Sunset Country Club (1968)

Meadowbrook Country Club (numerous dates)

Andreino’s restaurant ‘on the hill’ (1968)

Greenbriar Hill County Club in Kirkwood (numerous dates)

La Chateau in Frontenac (1968; 1975)

Darcy Advertising Co (1967-68)

Yacovelli’s Side Door and Restaurant (1970-71)

Pipefitter’s Union picnic (1971)

Bentley’s Restaurant and Pub (1971-75)

Tokyo Steak House, Manchester Road

Hillary’s Piano Bar in Soulard area of St Louis

The Goal-Tenders Club, a private club in The Arena, where club members who attended a St. Louis Blues hockey game would come for an early dinner and after-game celebration. She played at every Home Game for a period of 8 years

Cheshire Inn & Lodge on Big Bend Rd. in Clayton

Baldo’s restaurant and bar, 3518 Hampton Avenue (early 1990s)

Bandera’s Café & Bar, the Ceil Clayton Trio (with Bill Harper and Bill Schneider)

Kirkwood Area Chamber of Commerce business and community events

Variety Club events in St. Louis

Sang a Jingle for Milnot condensed milk, for radio commercials (1960s)

Volunteered her musical talents to many organizations (Bob Goddard column 3/17/1975 – she played for Pagedale City Senior Citizen variety show; Monday Club of Webster Groves; Moolah Shrine Temple shows/benefits; etc.

Massachusetts (nightclubs as a young woman):

The Rio Casino in Boston (1943)

Hotel Bradford’s The Circus Room in Boston (1945)

The Hotel Vendome Fife and Drum Room – a luxury hotel in Boston’s Back Bay

The Latin Quarter in Boston

The Mayfair, at 54 Broadway, Boston MA (started Oct 29, 1944)

USO's

Smith’s Restaurant & Lounge in New Bedford MA, playing 5 to closing nightly (summer 1943)

Other States

Miami, Florida: Blue Seas Motel in Miami, Florida (1965)

Biloxi Mississippi

New Orleans

Disney Land, California

New York, New York

Washington DC

Internationally:

King’s Court Bar at the Sheraton Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark (May 1 to June 29, 1975), singing nightly from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Arranged by Mr. Dallas Bandy, General Manager of the Sheraton-Copenhagen Hotel.

Opened the first piano bar at Trafalgar Bar in the Bristol Hotel in Oslo, Norway.

Honors:

Performed at grand opening of the Busch Memorial Stadium, in downtown St. Louis along with many other top musicians in St. Louis (May, 1966)

The first months of the New York Mets Shea Stadium, same time when the Worlds Fair was also going on

Musical Award to Ceil Clayton in 1989 at the Musicians Awards Night – A Premier Night for Metro St. Louis Music Lovers

The Ed Stemmler Memorial Award for Outstanding Vocals & Piano Artistry presented to Ceil Clayton on April 26, 1997, in recognition of her lifetime achievements and contributions to the field of entertainment and Jazz. . .an original American artform.

Discography:

1.Vinyl record (33 1/3 rpm): A Musical Tour of Gaslight Square; The original Gaslight Square album (Norman Records in early 1960s); included Ceil Clayton playing ‘Bill Bailey won’t you please come home’

2.Vinyl record (33 1/3 rpm): Meet me in St. Louis – A Musical Souvenir; included Ceil Clayton singing Night Life with the Russ David Orchestra (Norman Music in early 60s)

3.Vinyl record (33 1/3 rpm): Ceil Clayton Norman Records, 1963; NL-107) In a trio with Ralph DeRousse (bass) Rich O’Donnell (drums), along with Russ David orchestra.

4.Vinyl record (33 1/3 rpm): I meet the nicest People (Norman Records, 1968; NL-300). Along with Vic Cipponeri (bass), Dave Mortland (guitar), Rich O’Donnell or Dave Rich (drums).

5.First digital recording – '‘In the Afterglow – the Music of Historic Gaslight Square’' (Gaslight Records, 2006) – a composite of Gaslight Square performers; Ceil Clayton plays 5 songs, including one never on a previous record.

Song List on record: Ceil Clayton (1963)

•You meet the nicest people •What kind of fool am I? •Ace in the Hole •Misty •Bye Bye (Peter Gunn theme) •The Sweetheart Tree •Night Life •Never leave your Sugar •People •You don't have to be a baby to cry •I can’t say No. •I want a Little Boy

Song List on record: I meet the nicest People (1968)

•You meet the nicest people •Little girl blue •You don't have to be a baby to cry •Never leave your sugar •Coney Island washboard •That's all •I want a little boy •I left my heart in San Francisco •Trout no doubt •Alley cat •Bill Bailey won't you please come home •Must you go

References:

Internal

1 City of the Gabriels: The Jazz History of St. Louis by Dennis Owsley City of the Gabriels presents St. Louis's jazz history from 1895 to 1973. Above listed on pages 138, 148-49, and 153. The book was published in conjunction with an exhibit at The Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis, 9/2006 – 6/2007.on Gaslight Square and famous St Louis Mo Jazz musicians.

2 New Bedford Sunday Standard Times (Nov. 21, 1937 and other articles years following) The Standard-Times (New Bedford)

3 Radio WNBH WNBH has often claimed to be one of the oldest broadcast radio stations in America; it has asserted that it was the 11th oldest in the USA.

External

http://www.saucemagazine.com/a/799

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHlC4aZHA9A http://www.worldcat.org/title/musical-tour-of-gaslight-square/oclc/18713541

http://catalog.wustl.edu/search/o18713541

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/jazz-history-st-louis-part-5-gaslight-square-period

James strecker (talk) 19:31, 26 February 2016 (UTC) James strecker (talk) 19:17, 28 February 2016 (UTC)

Your submission at Articles for creation: Ceil Clayton (February 29)

Your recent article submission to Articles for Creation has been reviewed! Unfortunately, it has not been accepted at this time. The reason left by Onel5969 was: Please check the submission for any additional comments left by the reviewer. You are encouraged to edit the submission to address the issues raised and resubmit when they have been resolved.

• If you would like to continue working on the submission, go to Draft:Ceil Clayton and click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window.
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Onel5969 ^{TT me} 02:00, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

Hello! James strecker, I noticed your article was declined at Articles for Creation, and that can be disappointing. If you are wondering why your article submission was declined, please post a question at the Articles for creation help desk. If you have any other questions about your editing experience, we'd love to help you at the Teahouse, a friendly space on Wikipedia where experienced editors lend a hand to help new editors like yourself! See you there! Onel5969 TT me 02:00, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

AfC notification: Draft:Ceil Clayton has a new comment

I've left a comment on your Articles for Creation submission, which can be viewed at Draft:Ceil Clayton. Thanks! Worldbruce (talk) 20:11, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

Your draft article, Draft:Ceil Clayton

Hello, James strecker. It has been over six months since you last edited your Articles for Creation draft article submission, "Ceil Clayton".

In accordance with our policy that Articles for Creation is not for the indefinite hosting of material deemed unsuitable for the encyclopedia mainspace, the draft has been nominated for deletion. If you plan on working on it further, or editing it to address the issues raised if it was declined, simply and remove the {{db-afc}} or {{db-g13}} code.

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Thanks for your submission to Wikipedia, and happy editing. Onel5969 ^{TT me} 19:12, 30 November 2016 (UTC)