Walfrid Lehto | |
Birth Name: | Valfrid Olganpoika |
Birth Date: | 11 May 1896 |
Birth Place: | Hassi, Jämsä, Finland |
Death Place: | Hassi, Jämsä, Finland |
Instrument: | Vocals |
Genre: | Opera, schlager music |
Occupation: | Singer |
Years Active: | 1920s and 1930s |
Label: | His Master's Voice, Victor Talking Machine Company |
Walfrid Lehto, originally Valfrid Olganpoika, (May 11, 1896 – January 4, 1946[1]) was a Finnish American singer. He is better known by his stage name Volpi Leuto.
Lehto learned to sing in his home town of Hassi, Jämsä,[2] and made a study trip to California in 1926.[3] He settled down in New York City, where he performed at cafes and restaurants.[4] Between 1928 and 1929, Lehto recorded 20 Finnish songs for His Master's Voice and Victor Talking Machine Company in New York. All recordings were made under his stage name Volpi Leuto and some recordings were made with the Finnish-American Östman-Stein Orchestra.[5] For eight years Lehto lived in America and returned to Finland in the 1930s. He was no longer able to sing, and died a poor man in his home town of Hassi.[2]