Teal Joy was a nightclub singer born Elsie Itashiki in Seattle in Washington, state or San Francisco, California, in 1926. On her first record Ted Steele Presents Miss Teal Joy (1957) she sings in Japanese, Yiddish, Italian, French and Spanish as well as English. Three years later in 1960 she released Mood in Mink. She released no other record albums as Teal Joy. In 2017 Mood in Mink was re-released on cd. The cover described her as “The Oriental Billie Holiday.

Her family were, like many Japanese families during WWII, taken from their homes and livelihoods and forced into internment camps. Her mother Fuku Ogura Ishitaki was a schoolteacher and died in the Camp Sharp camp in May 1943. Her father Toku and Elsie and 3 sisters and brother were sent to Tanforan in San Bruno, CA, then to Topaz camp in Utah, the same camp where actor Jack Soo was sent – (best known for his role in Barney Miller late in his career). She started performing while in the camps and graduated from Topaz high school there. After they were released, the family moved to Chicago. She worked as a hat check girl and interpreter before appearing in clubs as a singer. She began getting noticed in clubs for her singing in 1949 even though she was mistaken for being Chinese because of her stage name. Ted Steele saw her at the Bamboo Club in Atlantic City and was impressed, leading to her being signed to Bethlehem Records. Steele’s friend was Frank Sinatra and Sinatra used his influence to get her booked into better clubs when Elsie performed privately for him. In 1960 she performed at the first Vina Del Mar music festival in Chile and represented Japan. She married Anthony Callegari in Queens NY in 1958 and in 1960 they had a daughter. It is alleged that she died in 1990. She recorded 2 singles and 2 albums. A great singer.

Appetizers