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Una Mae Carlisle was born on December 26, 1915, in Xenia, Ohio. She began her career as a teenager performing live and on radio in Cincinnati before being discovered by Fats Waller. Influenced by Waller's piano style, she initially toured with him until 1934. She worked briefly for Irving Mills and later embarked on a European tour with the Blackbirds revue, recording in London and Paris. Upon returning to the United States in 1940 due to World War II, Carlisle led her own band for Bluebird Records, collaborating with notable musicians such as Lester Young and Benny Carter. Her hit "Walking By the River" reached Number 20 on Billboard in May 1941. Throughout the 1940s, she had her own radio and television shows. Health issues forced her retirement in 1952. Carlisle passed away on November 7, 1956, in New York. Notable posthumous releases include Ladies Sing The Blues (1996).
