Dorothy Shay

Dorothy Shay (April 11, 1921 – October 22, 1978) was an American popular comedic recording artist in the late 1940s and early 1950s, who later became a character actress. She was known as the "Park Avenue Hillbilly".

Early life

Shay was born Dorothy Sims in Jacksonville, Florida. When she began her career as a 'straight' singer, she took vocal lessons to lose her Southern accent. She sang for the USO during World War II. Dorothy changed her name to "Shay" in order to not be confused with Ginny Simms, another performer of the day, choosing "Shay" to honor her mentor Betty Shay (later Betty Corday). While performing with Morton Gould and his orchestra, she performed an encore, "Uncle Fud", a hayseed novelty number that became very popular and launched her solo singing career.

"The Park Avenue Hillbilly"

She signed with Columbia Records and recorded a series of hit records. Her biggest hit was "Feudin' And Fightin'" in 1947. In that same year, her album, "Dorothy Shay (The Park Avenue Hillbilly) Sings", was rated number 1 in Billboard magazine's Best-Selling Popular Albums. She was the first female artist to have a number 1 album on the Billboard chart.