Greetings music sloots, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday! Can you hear birds whistling tuneful songs? Or little animals singing cheerful ditties in three-part harmony? If so, then you are psychotic and should really speak to a doctor about your visual and aural hallucinations. I kid, I kid, because we all see and hear singing birds and animals, right? Right? Anyway-I-swear-I'm-not-on-Thorazine, the songstress we're celebrating today is both famous and not famous. And sang with animals.  Confused? You won't be if you swing by "Rumpy-Pumpy Wowza-Powza," the Manor's newest after-hours club and sausage-sizzle eatery, where DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing this gal's sweet-as-syrup and twice-as-nice LP that just might make you feel all kinds of gentle and good. "It was another time," as they say, and gentle and good was allowed. Look! Singer Ilene Woods was so pretty she just popped to life. "Wait," you ask. "Ilen...

Greetings, lascivious sloots and layabout loons, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with sass, class and just a touch of Rachel Dolezal (not really, but kinda) (intrigued, aren't you?). I speak of Ruth Olay, a one-of-a-kind singer who started out "passing" as Black while touring with a group of talented Black musicians, all of whom carefully guarded her secret, since, at that time, "mixed" groups were forbidden and they all enjoyed playing together. Some risks were worth taking and her dark complexion and short, naturally curly hair, owing to her Hungarian ancestry, made it easy to fool eagle-eyed bookers and club owners.  Only years later did she break through, finding moderate success after appearing on TV's "The Jack Parr Show." Years previous, it was none other than her friend Ivie Anderson who gave her one of her first big breaks when she invited her to sing with Duke Ellington's band.  Tonight only, at the Manor...