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Patsy Vidalia

Patsy Vidalia (born Irving Ale; 1921 – August 29, 1982), also known as Jack-Patsy Vidalia, was an American female impersonator, singer and entertainer who was prominent in the social life of New Orleans from the 1940s to 1960s. His second name is given with various spellings, including Valdalia, Valdelar, Valdeler, Vadalia, and Valdia. He was born in Vacherie, Louisiana, the son of Orelia and Willie Ale. After his father died, he moved to New Orleans with his mother, and became fascinated by the local female impersonators. By the mid-1940s, he was working as a female impersonator in New Orleans clubs. He gave himself the name Vidalia for the type of onion, which according to Cosimo Matassa was also used as a slang term for a man who used prostitutes, and worked with others as one of the Valdalia Sisters. In 1947 he started working at the Dew Drop Inn, the center of the city's black musical scene, at the request of its owner Frank Painia. There, he became the club's resident MC, singer and bartender, and hosted the annual Halloween Gay Ball. He was known as "the Toast of New Orleans". His theme song was "Hip Shakin' Mama", first recorded by Chubby Newsom. His only recordings, "Rock Me Baby" and "Put Your Hand Over My Heart", made for Mercury Records in Los Angeles in 1953 with saxophonist Plas Johnson, were not successful.…

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Article summary

Patsy Vidalia (born Irving Ale; 1921 – August 29, 1982), also known as Jack-Patsy Vidalia, was an American female impersonator, singer and entertainer who was prominent in the social life of New Orleans from the 1940s to 1960s. His second name is given with various spellings, including Valdalia, Valdelar, Valdeler, Vadalia, and Valdia. He was born in Vacherie, Louisiana, the son of Orelia and Willie Ale. After his father died, he moved to New Orleans with his mother, and became fascinated by the local female impersonators. By the mid-1940s, he was working as a female impersonator in New Orleans clubs. He gave himself the name Vidalia for the type of onion, which according to Cosimo Matassa was also used as a slang term for a man who used prostitutes, and worked with others as one of the Valdalia Sisters. In 1947 he started working at the Dew Drop Inn, the center of the city's black musical scene, at the request of its owner Frank Painia. There, he became the club's resident MC, singer and bartender, and hosted the annual Halloween Gay Ball. He was known as "the Toast of New Orleans". His theme song was "Hip Shakin' Mama", first recorded by Chubby Newsom. His only recordings, "Rock Me Baby" and "Put Your Hand Over My Heart", made for Mercury Records in Los Angeles in 1953 with saxophonist Plas Johnson, were not successful.…

Key claims

  1. date of birth: 1982-08-29 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of death: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of birth is "1982-08-29". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of death is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1357770850

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.