Comedienne, songwriter, singer and pianist Ava Williams (aka Ava Lorraine) made her show business debut at the age of 19 in Sacramento, California, and soon moved on to Los Angeles and Hollywood. In 1939, Ms. Williams moved to New York City and began a thirty-year residence in East Coast cafes, nightclubs, hotels, and cocktail lounges. In 1962 she commenced an annual tour as the “Piano Lady” in Provincetown, Massachusetts, giving her final performance there in 1983.
Ava Williams was born on March 4, 1912 in Pendleton, Oregon, to parents Joseph A. and Laura Merritt Williams. Her brother Dick was born eighteen months later. The family moved to LaGrande in 1916, and eventually owned both a barber shop and an adjacent restaurant. Ava’s early exposure to music came through her father’s barbershop, the local church, and her mother’s restaurant, where local vaudeville acts dined. She began vocal training at the age of twelve. Ava attended high school in Enterprise, OR, where the family lived for one year, and graduated from LaGrande High School in 1931. Beneath her senior photo she reportedly wrote, “Life is short, enjoy it while you can.” She married Jorge (George) Carlozzi in 1941 in the Panama Canal Zone, but returned to New York without him after a few months. The marriage later ended in divorce.
Ava was a devoted daughter. She regularly returned to Portland during the summer months and performed there in order to spend more time with her parents. Her mother passed away in 1982. Ava gave up her apartment in New York City in 1984 and followed her forty-three boxes of music to Portland, where she lived until her own death June 4, 2003. A long life, thoroughly enjoyed.
From the guide to the Papers, 1880-2004, (Oregon Historical Society)
