Birth Name: Stormé DeLarverie 
Stage Name: Stormy Dale (1946 to 1949) 
Born: c. December 24 1920 
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 
Death: May 24 2014 (aged 93), Brooklyn, New York, USA 
Gender identity: chose to live as “me,” regarded by friends as nonbinary or gender nonconforming 
Pronouns: whatever makes you feel most comfortable 
Sexual Orientation: lesbian 
Nationality: American 
Ethnicity: biracial, African American mother, white father 
Profession: singer, MC, bodyguard, bouncer, activist, volunteer street patrol 
Years Active: 1935 to 2000 
Genres: jazz, cabaret, drag revue 
Associated Acts: Ringling Brothers Circus, Jewel Box Revue, Patsy Lee and the Bomberettes, Raynell Golden’s Show Girl Revue, Stonewall Veterans’ Association 

The Beginning (1920 to 1942) 

Stormé DeLarverie was born around December 24, 1920 in New Orleans to an African American mother and a white father. She never received an official birth certificate and chose to celebrate her birthday on Christmas Eve. After her mother’s death and her father’s absence, she was taken in by foster parents Harvey and Rose Hublitz of Alliance, Nebraska. The 1930 census lists her as Viva M. Thomas, age six, living as a boarder in the Hublitz household. By 1940 she appears as their adopted daughter, Viva M. Hublitz. 

Growing up biracial and androgynous in rural Nebraska, Stormé endured relentless bullying from both Black and white peers. As a child she suffered a fall that left her leg badly injured. She was fitted with a brace she later nicknamed Jonah, and she carried a lifelong limp as a reminder of that accident. 

Around age fifteen, Stormé discovered jazz and began singing solo numbers at local church events, school concerts, and community gatherings. In November 1939 she performed two solo pieces at a municipal concert. At the annual Nebraska high school music competition she earned a good rating in 1940, an excellent rating in 1941, and two superior ratings in 1942, one for her solo and another as part of a girls’ trio with Esther Vance and Coralee Beagle. 

Stormé graduated from Alliance High School on May 28, 1942 after singing with the girls’ trio at the Baccalaureate ceremony the previous Sunday. Two weeks later she joined the Alliance Municipal Band Concert series as a featured soloist for ten weeks. Her repertoire included standards such as Blues in the Night, Memphis Blues, Alice Blue Gown, Basin Street Blues, Old Man River, Angels of Mercy, White Cliffs of Dover, Stardust, and My Wild Irish Rose. 

That October, her foster father Harvey died tragically from a head injury, removing her only paternal figure. His loss may have prompted Stormé to leave home later that year in search of new opportunities and acceptance. 

Leaving Home, Circus and Early Touring (1942 to 1949) 

After her foster father Harvey’s death in October 1942, Stormé left Alliance, Nebraska, and entered the wider world of show business. She rode jumping horses with the Ringling Brothers Circus until a fall forced her to quit and left her with memories of life under the big top. Around the same time she traveled to Chicago, presenting herself as a straight man and learning the ropes of a male wardrobe and lifestyle. It was in Chicago or soon after, by 1943 at the latest, that she met Diana, a dancer and aerialist who would become her partner for the next twenty-six years. 

By April of 1946 she had adopted the professional name Stormy Dale. Billboard Magazine listed “Viva Hublitz, blues singer” as part of Patsy Lee and the Bomberettes in Max Goodman’s Wonder Shows of America. That winter Bloom Chicago portrait sessions captured her in tailored men’s suits and ties, showcasing the androgynous style she perfected onstage and off. 

In January 1947 the Alliance Daily Telegraph ran a photo of her as Viva May Hublitz, noting that she was “a professional singer in Pensacola, Florida” despite having graduated from Alliance High School in 1942. On December 23, 1949, the same paper announced that Stormy Dale, formerly of Alliance and recently performing in Omaha, was home for the holidays. After that visit she quietly retired the Stormy Dale name and prepared for the next chapter of her career in New York City. 

Musical Career and Jewel Box Revue (1955 to 1969) 

In January 1955 Stormé DeLarverie joined North America’s first racially integrated drag revue, the Jewel Box Revue, replacing Jo Vaughn as its master of ceremonies and becoming the sole drag king among twenty-five female impersonators. Onstage she showcased her rich baritone voice with numbers inspired by Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday, often wearing tailored men’s suits and at times painting on a moustache to confound audience expectations. During the signature musical number, “A Surprise with a Song,” she would reveal herself as a woman, much to the delight and astonishment of mixed-race audiences in clubs and theaters across the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

The revue played landmark venues such as the Apollo Theater in Harlem and Radio City Music Hall, and it toured both major cities and smaller communities. Behind the scenes Stormé helped oversee production alongside owners Frank “Doc” Benner and Danny Brown, whose families staffed wardrobe and road management. In 1961 Diane Arbus photographed her in Central Park, capturing her striking androgynous presence. In 1967 Avery Willard included her story and images in his book Female Impersonation, and in 1987 Michelle Parkerson premiered the documentary Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box, chronicling her groundbreaking role. 

Stormé remained with the Jewel Box Revue until September 7, 1969, departing just months after the Stonewall uprising and following the death of her partner Diana. Her tenure set a historic precedent for drag kings and gender-nonconforming performers, and her work in the revue laid the foundation for a career of activism, community protection and continued musical performance.