Background
Lloyd Garrett was born in Moulton, Iowa, into a well-educated, middle-class family. His father was a lawyer, and Lloyd was encouraged to follow his profession.
Lloyd Garrett was born in Moulton, Iowa, into a well-educated, middle-class family. His father was a lawyer, and Lloyd was encouraged to follow his profession.
He was a high tenor and evidently possessed a fine falsetto. In 1915-1916 he was featured as a “boy soprano” with Ralph Dunbar’s Bell-Ringers. By 1918 he had established himself as a solo singer in revues.
In 1920 he was featured in the second edition of George White"s Scandals, singing songs by George Gershwin, among others, and he reappeared in the later shows at least until 1926.
At the same time he maintained a career in vaudeville and musical comedy, appearing in London in 1923 and in a Marx Brothers show in 1925. The couple settled in Stamford, Connecticut, and Garrett thereafter limited himself to brief tours and club appearances in New New York
His last vaudeville tour was in 1935, with only scattered radio appearances thereafter. He eventually took a sales position with the Stamford firm of Pitney Bowes, and the Garretts became prominent in the social life of Stamford.
In retirement he moved to Delegate March, California, where he died.
He used variations of his name somewhat indiscriminately: Lloyd F Garrett, Lloyd Garrett, and occasionally the pseudonym Lloyd Fry) He is most often noted as the author of the words to “Dallas Blues” in the form it became known. He also wrote both words and music for a remarkable set of four World War I songs published by Frank K. Root as part of “Songs from the Camps.” These evidence skill and wit, making accomplished use of the emerging language of jazz and playing musically upon ethnic stereotypes.
