Marilyn Maye

Marilyn Maye is a jazz and cabaret vocalist who built her career in Kansas City and holds the record for the most appearances by a singer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — 76 in all. Though born in Wichita, Kansas, Maye spent her formative professional years performing across the Kansas City metro, most famously during an 11-year residency at the Colony Steakhouse, where she was discovered by entertainer Steve Allen.¹² After national fame in the 1960s and 1970s — including the first hit recording of “Cabaret” — she experienced a remarkable late-career resurgence in New York cabaret rooms beginning in the mid-2000s, and remains an active performer in her late 90s, still claimed as a Kansas City institution.¹³

Biography

Kansas City years

Maye was born April 10, 1928, in Wichita, Kansas.¹ She began performing as a child and, by age 15, had her own radio show on KRNT.² She built her early professional career in the Kansas City area, performing at venues including the President Hotel in downtown Kansas City and, most notably, holding an 11-year residency with a trio at the Colony Steakhouse.¹² It was at the Colony that entertainer Steve Allen discovered her, leading to her first national television exposure.¹² Beginning in 1970, she starred in productions at Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre, including Hello, Dolly! and Can-Can.¹

National career & Tonight Show

Maye’s national breakthrough came through television and her RCA Victor recordings, which included seven albums and 34 singles — among them the first hit recording of “Cabaret” and the song “Step to the Rear.”¹ She became a fixture on late-night television, appearing 76 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, the most of any musical artist in the program’s history; her final appearance was in 1979.¹ Critics have grouped her among the last great scat-singing jazz vocalists, drawing comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, and Anita O’Day.¹

Later-career resurgence

After years of lower-profile work, Maye re-emerged on the national cabaret scene in 2006, when she performed at Lincoln Center for the Mabel Mercer Foundation at age 78, drawing renewed critical attention.¹ She subsequently became a regular at New York’s Metropolitan Room and later at 54 Below and Birdland.¹ In 2023 she made her solo Carnegie Hall debut at age 95.¹ As of 2026, Maye continued to perform actively: she headlined her seventh consecutive New Year’s Eve run at Birdland at age 98 (shows December 31, 2025 through January 4, 2026), returned to 54 Below for birthday performances in April 2026, and was working on a new album.⁴⁵ In January 2026, Blue Engine Records released The Magic of Marilyn Maye: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center.⁶ Marilyn Maye is living as of June 2026.⁴⁵

Sources

See also

• kansas-city-music-scene

Footnotes

1. Marilyn Maye — Wikipedia — asserts: born April 10, 1928, Wichita, KS; President Hotel and 11-year Colony Steakhouse residency in Kansas City; discovered by Steve Allen; Starlight Theatre productions from 1970; 76 Tonight Show appearances (most of any music artist), final appearance 1979; RCA recordings incl. first hit of “Cabaret” and “Step to the Rear”; 2006 Mabel Mercer/Lincoln Center resurgence, Metropolitan Room, 54 Below, Birdland; 2023 solo Carnegie Hall debut at age 95; listed as living. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

2. Discovered in Kansas City, cabaret singer Marilyn Maye celebrates her 90th year in showbiz — KCUR (NPR) — asserts: 11 years at the Colony Steakhouse in KC; discovered there by Steve Allen; own KRNT radio show by age 15; actively performing and working on a 2026 album as of late 2025. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Marilyn Maye — The Great American Songbook Foundation Hall of Fame — asserts: career profile and standing as a celebrated American Songbook / cabaret vocalist with deep Kansas City ties. ↩

4. Marilyn Maye Rings in 2026 with Jazz, Joy, and Genius at Birdland — Times Square Chronicles — asserts: performed live at Birdland for her 7th consecutive New Year’s Eve run at age 98 (Dec 31, 2025–Jan 4, 2026); described as an active, living performing artist in 2026. ↩ ↩²

5. Cabaret Review: Marilyn Maye (54 Below, NY) — Stage and Cinema — asserts: Maye performed live at 54 Below for her birthday engagement in April 2026; confirms she is living and actively performing. ↩ ↩²

6. Blue Engine Records Celebrates the Legendary Marilyn Maye — Jazz at Lincoln Center Press Center (Jan 2026) — asserts: January 2026 release of The Magic of Marilyn Maye: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center. ↩