Merceedees Welcker

American singer and composer (January 8, 1913 Chicago, IL - March 22, 2000 Seattle, WA). Born Mercedes Antoinette Welcker, Mercedes adopted her stage name "Merceedees" by age 17, while still living with her parents in Chicago. On July 16, 1934, she married a fellow Chicagoan, bartender Malen Jordan, in nearby Lake Co., Indiana. In 1937, they were living in Stockton, CA. Soon, Merceedes made her way to New York and began to perform in Harlem night clubs; she also ran a well-known after-hours club in Harlem, the Gee-Haw Stables. On September 2, 1942, she joined the American Women's Voluntary Services (AWVS), leading a Harlem-based motor corps unit. In May 1943, she transferred to the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). As Second Lieutenant Mercedes Jordan, she served as a Special Service Officer at Fort Huachuca, AZ, then became Transportation Officer with the all-black 6888th Postal Directory Battalion in England and France. Starting in the late 1930s, Merceedees also enjoyed some success as a composer. Her song "Like A Ship At Sea" was recorded by Jimmie Lunceford in 1938. Another piece, "Do You Know (Well I Do)," was featured by Jimmy Dorsey and recorded by Charley Barnet in 1942. She also created the official unit songs for the AWVS, "American Women for Defense," and the WAAC, "We're the WAACs." After the war, she became a local celebrity in Seattle, Washington. Apart from performing in local clubs, she had her own shows on KING-AM radio and on KING-TV. She also recorded several of her own songs for the Linden label. Between 1949-1951, she was married to local mink rancher, Russell Walton.