Valaida Snow, born on June 2, 1904, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an American jazz musician. Raised in a show-business family, she began performing at age five and mastered multiple instruments by 15, including the trumpet. Her solo career started with the revue Holiday in Dixieland, leading to roles in musicals like In Bamville alongside Josephine Baker. By 1924, Snow was a key figure in Broadway's The Chocolate Dandies. She gained national recognition as a dancer, musician, and singer, touring extensively across the U.S., Europe, and China. Nicknamed "Little Louis" by Louis Armstrong and "Queen of the Trumpet" by W.C. Handy, she became famous for her trumpet playing. During WWII, she was imprisoned in Copenhagen but later released. Valaida Snow died on May 30, 1956, aged 51, from a brain hemorrhage while performing at New York's Palace Theater.
