A new trio made its appearance to the radio audience of KMOX, The Voice of St. Louis, last Sunday at 10:15 a.m. The trio to which we refer is “The Debutantes” whose vocal harmonies attracted so much attention on Sunday’s broadcast that the telephones of KMOX were kept busy for hours answering calls from the inquiring audience who wanted to know just who these three girls really were.
Well, they are Linda Stuart, Jean Carleton and Betty Marshall, and their initial broadcast over KMOX was their first appearance before a microphone.
The reason they created such a sensation was because they had, at the start, the experience of “old timers.” They derived this experience from Ted Straeter, popular KMOX pianist and coach who has been instructing the trio for three months.
During this time Ted has taught them the art of radio broadcasting by teaching them expression, phrasing, microphone technique, in addition to blending their voices, developing their vocal personality and writing special trio arrangements.
Summing it up in a few words, Ted discovered and developed this unusual trio. He has a habit of developing radio talent, for Ted has coached some of radio’s outstanding trios and soloists. “The Coeds,” “The Three Blue Notes,” “Irene Beasley,” “Bernardine Hayes,” “Jimmy(sic) Cabooch” and many others have been tutored by this young man who is now only eighteen years of age.
While young in years, Ted has had a wealth of experience. He has been in radio since the early days of the one tube set when he was featured as the child wonder. Ted is still a wonder, for in addition to his radio work, he finds time to maintain his own studios where he teaches piano and voice. In spite of his youth, Ted Straeter is regarded as one of the most capable coaches and pianists in the middle west.
(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 1/16/1932).