Katherine Neal Simmons Explained

Katherine Neal Simmons
Other Names:Katherine Neal-Simmons, Katherine Love
Birth Date:August 1884
Birth Place:Sherman, Texas
Death Date:1940
Occupation:Singer

Katherine Neal Simmons Love (August 1884 – 1940) was an American soprano singer of Choctaw ancestry. She often performed songs of Native American themes, wearing an evocative costume of beads and fringe.

Early life

Katherine Neal was born in 1884 (some sources give 1887) in Sherman, Texas, the daughter of James Thomas Neal[1] and Mary Elizabeth Fuller Neal. Her mother was listed as "Choctaw by Blood" on the Dawes Rolls.[2] She attended Mary Nash College. She pursued further musical studies at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and in Paris and Chicago.[3] [4]

Career

Simmons, a soprano,[5] [6] sang professionally, as a church soloist and as a touring concert singer.[7] [8] [9] Her concerts often featured arias but also "tribal Indian songs", and she wore a costume[10] of beads, a fringed shawl, braids, and a headband.[11] [12] She also sang Indian-themed compositions by Charles Wakefield Cadman, Thurlow Lieurance and others.[13] She was active in the MacDowell Club of Portland, Oregon. She made a concert tour of cities in the eastern United States and Canada for the 1921–1922 season,[14] and met with President Harding and his wife in the White House.[15] [16] She had a garden of 250 rose bushes, and was secretary of the Portland Rose Society.[17] [18]

By 1926 she had relocated from Portland to New York City,[19] [20] and was regional director of the National Delphian Society, a network of women's music clubs.[21] She also taught voice lessons.[22]

Personal life

Neal married twice. Her first husband was lawyer John Curtis Simmons; they married in 1905 and he died by 1920. Her second husband was Joseph Kirk Love; he survived her when she died in 1940.[23]

Notes and References

  1. News: February 27, 1924. Interesting Visitor from Portland Here. 5. Abilene Daily Reporter. August 5, 2020. NewspaperArchive.com.
  2. https://www.fold3.com/browse/1/h8n6j-zWt-L0vgirIOPzCJK5glc4y91N4vOaSiDY9 Mary E. Neal
  3. Book: International Who's who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: A Contemporary Biographical Dictionary and a Record of the World's Musical Activity. 1918. Current Literature Publishing Company. 447. en.
  4. Web site: Maxwell. Lisa C.. 2010-06-15. Mart Nash College. 2020-08-05. TSHA Online. en.
  5. News: 1922-01-29. Pacific Coast Singer Visiting in Louisville. 9. The Courier-Journal. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  6. News: March 17, 1926. Noted Lyric Soprano to Give Concert. 1. DuBois Courier. August 5, 2020. NewspaperArchive.com.
  7. July 24, 1919. Katherine Neal-Simmons Fills Many Engagements. Musical Courier. 79. 30.
  8. News: March 18, 1926. Excellent Concert Will be Given at Church This Evening. 1. DuBois Courier. August 5, 2020. NewspaperArchive.com.
  9. News: March 10, 1921. Mrs. Katherine Neal Simmons Honoree at a Delightful Affair. 4. Abilene Daily Reporter. August 5, 2020.
  10. April 1917. Neal-Simmons Unique Costume Recitals. The Musical Monitor. 6. 461.
  11. November 4, 1916. Soprano to Give Recitals of Indian Songs in Costume. Musical America. 25. 33.
  12. News: Winner. Vella. 1919-03-16. Indian Program Will be Given at Laurelhurst. 40. The Oregon Daily Journal. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  13. June 1917. Portland Notes. Music and Musicians. 3. 15.
  14. October 6, 1921. Katherine Neal Simmons on Tour. Musical Courier. 83. 36.
  15. February 9, 1922. Mrs. Simmons in Washington. The Musical Leader. 43. 131.
  16. News: 1922-02-08. Mrs. J. C. Simmons Calls on President. 2. The Oregon Daily Journal. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  17. Book: Carey, Charles Henry. History of Oregon. 1922. Pioneer historical publishing Company. 408–409. en.
  18. News: 1921-01-23. A Distinguished Visitor. 7. The Paris Morning News. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  19. News: 1926-10-22. Mrs. Simmons on Return Visit. 3. Shamokin News-Dispatch. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  20. News: 1926-05-26. Music Club Closes Year with Recital. 5. Altoona Tribune. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  21. News: 1925-09-17. Mrs. C. C. Cooner of Kulpmont Heads New Delphian Club Here. 1. Shamokin News-Dispatch. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  22. News: 1929-01-26. I See by the Dispatch That. 2. Shamokin News-Dispatch. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.
  23. News: 1947-03-24. Joseph Kirk Love. 2. The Daily American. 2020-08-05. Newspapers.com.

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