American female singer, author and performer on stage, radio, television and film.
Born May 10, 1922 Baltimore, Maryland Died February 27, 2007 Harlem, New York City, NY (age of 84). Married to composer Vic Mizzy.
She first performed on radio when she was six or seven years old. She was a musical prodigy and the first singer well known by the moniker The Little Girl With The Big Voice. At 11 years old and in the midst of the Great Depression she was discovered by Rudy Vallee.
She hosted her own broadcasts for 14 consecutive years across all major networks. She and songwriter Evelyne Love Cooper formed a management firm for femme vocalists in New York in 1961. Its goals were to be an organization for the coaching, staging and personal management of female vocalists. Address: 232 E. 49th St. In her later years was a highly-sought-after vocal coach in Manhattan.
A documentary was made on Mary in 2015 called The Little Girl with the Big Voice: An unapologetic portrait of iconic entertainer Mary Small, whose voice comforted millions through the Great Depression and WWII.