Kitty West
| Kitty West | ||
 Kitty West | ||
| Background information | ||
| Other names: | Evangeline, The Oyster Girl | |
| Born | Jun 08, 1930 Union Town, Alabama, USA | |
| Zodiac | Leo | |
| Died | Aug 18, 2019 - age 88 St. Louis, Mississippi, USA Cancer | |
| Spouse(s): | Jerry West ( - 2001) | |
Burlesque dancer and stripper Kitty West was born Abbie Jewel Slawson on June 8, 1930, in Uniontown, Alabama. The second in a family of six children, West moved with her family to Shuqualak, Mississippi, when she was a child. Since Kitty's family was poor, they had to travel throughout the area to pick cotton in order to keep themselves afloat. West left home at age sixteen and went to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she began dancing so she could make money to send back home to her family. Kitty established herself as a popular attraction at Bourbon Street's Casino Royale club with her alluring alter ego Evangeline the Oyster Girl, who emerged from an oyster shell wearing just a few strategically placed pearls like Venus rising forth from the sea while "Ebb Tide" played in the background. West remained a major headliner at Casino Royale for almost two decades before eventually retiring from burlesque in the mid-1960s and going on to become an active and generous mentor to New Orleans performers in the 1990s and 2000s. Kitty was married to former amateur boxer turned jockey Jerry West. Moreover, West also worked as a sales clerk at two hotels in eastern New Orleans and was a hair stylist who owned two beauty salons. Kitty died at age 89 on August 18, 2019, from cancer at her home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. She was survived by her sons Gary and Robert, her brother Johnny Slawson, and two grandsons.
Obituary
Burlesque legend Kitty West, also known as Evangeline the Oyster Girl, passed away Sunday (8/18/19) at the age of 89. Born Abbie Jewel Slawson in Mississippi, Kitty ran away to New Orleans at age 16, where she began dancing. Her signature act, rising out of an oyster shell like Venus from the sea, made her a headliner for many years at Bourbon Street’s Casino Royale.[Source 1]
Evangeline the Oyster Girl smashes Divena’s tank mid-act
It was there that the incident she is perhaps best known for took place. Feeling their star was less of a draw, Casino Royale brought in another aquatic-themed act, Divena, who performed as a mermaid in a water tank. Divena was billed above Kitty, so one night, Kitty attacked the tank with an axe during Divena’s act, bursting its wall and spilling water (and Divena) across the stage. The resulting publicity boosted both their careers.
Although she retired from the stage in the early 1960s, Kitty was a generous and active mentor to New Orleans performers in the 1990s and 2000s, passing on her act and her stories to a new generation of performers.
Sources
External links
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