Ty Bennett

Ty Bennett was a headliner and den mother of New York's Club 82 for over a decade, beginning in 1958. Although he never achieved the fame of T. C. Jones or the infamy of Ray Bourbon, he was one of the most popular female impersonators of the 60's. His lone album (promotional material from the club states that Bennett was working on a second album in 1965, but only this one has surfaced) is probably best extant representation of a high-class drag act from the heyday of this type of act. Although it contains a few groaners, some of the material is screamingly funny, such as his own fractured fairy tale. I've never been able to find out what happened to him-there's a good chance he's still around-and if anyone knows, please drop me a line!

Queen For A Day (Half and Half 34 1/2 ; ca. 1962)