Ida James

Delicate beauty Ida James was a sweet, honey-voiced singer whose singing could rival the birds. She gained popularity in the 1940s for her beauty, high, bird-like voice, grace, and glamour. She was the definition of daintiness and winsomeness. She gained stardom by singing her trademark song, "Shoo Shoo Baby," and from then on, she was always known as and billed as "The Shoo Shoo Baby" and "The Shoo Shoo Girl." Her recognition came by singing with Nat 'King' Cole, and they both popularized the song "Is You Is, Or Is Not My Baby," which they sang in a musical short together. She sang with various popular trios and bands with which she recorded. In 1945, she was voted by music fans as one of the top twenty popular vocalists in America. As an actress, she was very convincing, her first screen appearance was in The Devil's Daughter (1939) where she gave a watchable performance, demonstrating that she could be a fine actress, given the chance. Several years later, she appeared in Hi De Ho (1947) with Cab Calloway, where she gave another good performance, and in between, she did quite a few musical shorts. She appeared in leading Black magazines and print ads of the time as well. Ida James was always a likable presence on stage and screen, irresistibly pleasing to the eyes and to the ears.