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BIOGRAPHY
Virginia
Katherine McMath was born on July 16, 1911 in Independence,
Missouri. Her nickname, "Ginger," originated from her
younger cousin Helen who pronounced "Virginia" as "Ginja."
Family and friends continued to call her this, and later
theatre men who understood the name to be "Ginger" billed
her as such on their marquees.
Those who knew her as a little girl often said that
Ginger could dance before she could walk. At the age
of 10, she was appearing at local charity shows, celebrations
and lodge meetings with her stepfather, "Daddy John,"
whose last name, Rogers, she eventually borrowed.
Going on tour
At the age of 14, young Ginger won the Texas State Charleston
Championship. Her prize was four weeks of appearances
in four Texas cities on the Interstate Theatre Circuit.
She chose two red-headed Charleston dancers, and billed
the act "Ginger and the Redheads." The performances
continued well beyond their four-week engagement when
Junior Orpheum sent the trio on an extensive tour across
the western United States.
When the show reached Chicago, a famous vaudeville act
stole the redheaded dancers, and Ginger found herself
doing a single for the Skouras Brothers at their Ambassador
Theatre in St. Louis. She continued for 28 weeks, with
a new act each week, using the Master of Ceremonies
as her straight man.
When Paul Ash invited her to appear with his band at
the Oriental Theatre, Ginger left St. Louis and traveled
to Chicago. After performing for nearly four months
with Ash, Paramount Publix lured her away to New York
to perform at Broadway's Paramount Theatre. They also
began preparing a stage show for Ginger to tour in at
their theatres across the country. However, her routines
with the Master of Ceremonies were so successful, she
was held over for several weeks and the touring show
went on without her. The Paramount Theatre subsequently
brought Paul Ash and his band to New York and invited
Ginger back to join them.
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