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on
February 6, 1881, to parents Helen and George W. Tyson. She had five siblings, including two sisters who both later became performers: Pearl and Lena Tyson. Grace occasionally performed with them later in life. She went to school at Lovell Street School, No. 3 in Kalamazoo and began performing at
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She quickly became known for her "singing abilities, her 'very accomplished' piano skills, and for her commanding stage presence." As a 12-year-old girl, Grace performed with Frank Tucker’s repertory company in
Michigan and surrounding states, and "was soon the star attraction."
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By 1912, the couple was earning $ 1,000 nightly in New York for their joint performances and were forced to turn down many lucrative opportunities because their schedule was filled. In 1913, they performed in South Africa and
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performer and actress. She partnered with Arthur McWatters, and by 1898, they were performing under the act "McWatters & Tyson." She was a national and international star for four decades.
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121:. At this point Grace Tyson had become a superstar in constant demand, more so than her husband . In a publicity stunt she insured her expressive eyes for $ 15,000."
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Tyson and McWatters were secretly married around 1898, but Tyson kept her stage name, “Miss Grace Tyson,” for her entire career. The couple were performing in
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the age of 5. By age 11, she performed with the local Getter’s
Mastodon Minstrels, traveling throughout the western part of Michigan.
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in a skit called In The Music
Publisher’s Office and she introduce an actual national hit song by no less a composer than
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Tyson achieved national and international success pursuing both a solo and joint careers with McWatters. She starred with
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238:"Arthur McWatters and Grace Tyson: Singing Vaudeville Comedians by David Soren | The American Vaudeville Museum"
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Tyson's photo appearing on the
Musical Supplement of the New York Journal and Advertiser, June 26, 1896
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Grace May Tyson died in
October 20, 1941 at age 61. Arthur McWatters lived until 1963 when he was 92.
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Collections of their papers are held in the
American Vaudeville Archive by Arizona University.
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261:"Arthur McWatters and Grace Tyson – The American Vaudeville Archive — Special Collections"
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Tyson's photograph appeared on the cover of the sheet music for "A Modern
Century Girl."
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While touring with the
Columbian Stock Company, she met actor Arthur McWatters of
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Postcard featuring entertainers Grace Tyson and Arthur McWatters (1909)
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30:(February 6, 1881 – October 20, 1941) was an American child singer,
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The Indian
Territory Journals of Colonel Richard Irving Dodge
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in New York. There she performed with the great comedienne
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Dodge, Richard Irving; Rogers, Will (August 21, 1996).
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American Vaudeville performer and actress (1881–1941)
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That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune (Mendelssohn Rag)
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338:20th-century American singers
242:vaudeville.sites.arizona.edu
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290:– via Google Books.
211:Kalamazoo Public Library
308:Comedians from Michigan
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163:Mlle. Irene the Great
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99:Chicago
64:Saginaw
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
