"Diamond Teeth" Mary McClain
— August 28, 1902—April 4, 2000 —
Born and raised in Huntington, WV, Mary hopped a train and left town at age 13 to become a singer and dancer. She spent the 1920's and 30's performing in medicine and minstrel shows. During the 1940's, Mary had diamonds removed from a bracelet and set into her front teeth, creating a dazzling stage effect which earned her the nickname, "Diamond Teeth Mary." Night spots from Chicago to Miami billed her as "Queen of the Blues," and "Walking Mary." She performed at the Apollo Theater, The Cotton Club, Carnegie Hall, the White House, and in Europe, where her show-stopping charisma received standing ovations. She also toured with the USO. As she had requested, her ashes were sprinkled on the railroad tracks at Heritage Station where she had hopped her first train. Mary always lovingly referred to Huntington as "my home."| HM Number | HM1EF1 |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 2010 |
| Placed By | Presented by the West Virginia Blues Society |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Sunday, September 7th, 2014 at 3:44am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17S E 374229 N 4253798 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 38.42360000, -82.44080000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 38° 25.416', W 82° 26.448' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 38° 25' 24.96" N, 82° 26' 26.88" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 304 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 15 Heritage Vlg, Huntington WV 25701, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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