Career
She is the sister of Yao Minister, also a famous singer. She was considered one of the Seven great singing stars of Shanghai in the 1940s. Born Yáo Xiùyún (姚秀雲) and raised in Shanghai, Yao began performing on the radio in 1935 at the age of 13.
When she was 14, she recorded her first single with Yan Hua (嚴華) called "New Little Cowherd" (新小放牛, Xin xiao fang niu).
She was signed to Pathé Records when she was 16 in 1937, and the first record she released with the label was "Yearning for Sale" (賣相思, Mai Xiang Si). Following the Communist seizure of power in China in 1949, popular music was considered ideologically suspect and Yao fled to Hong Kong in 1950 to continue her singing career there.
In addition to releasing hit records, beginning in 1955 with the film 桃花江 (Peach Blossom River), she often acted as a playback singer for movie superstars. Many of the featured songs would also become popular.
In 1970, she returned to performing and travelled to Taiwan to perform there for the first time and sought unsuccessfully to sign Teresa Teng to Electric and Music Industries for the Hong Kong market.
She retired officially in 1975 but remained supportive of singers such as Wakin Chau. During the 1930s and 40s, Yao Lee"s high, soft singing style was typical of Chinese popular music of the time (influenced by superstar Zhou Xuan). She is famous for her 1940 version of Rose, Rose, I Love You (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你), later recorded by Frankie Laine in the United States with English lyrics.
(Her version was also released in the United States and the United Kingdom credited to "Mission Hue Lee").
Yao was known as "the Silver Voice" (銀嗓子) alluding to fellow Shanghai singer Zhou Xuan, who was known as "the Golden Voice" (金嗓子). With increasing Western influences in the region after World World War II and her move to Hong Kong, Yao Lee"s singing style changed.
She was introduced to more Western popular music and became an admirer of American singer Patti Page, whom she emulated by lowering her voice and incorporating some similar vocal mannerisms. As a result, Yao is sometimes called "Hong Kong"s Patti Page." One of her biggest "50s records was "The Spring Breeze Kisses My Face" (春風吻上我的臉).
Yao was extremely prolific with over 400 gramophone records attributed to her.
