Helen Forrest Autographs
Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel, April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era (Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James), thereby earning a reputation as "the voice of the name bands."
Forrest was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 12, 1917. Her parents, Louis and Rebecca Fogel, were Jewish. Her father died from influenza when Helen was an infant so she was raised by her mother, who often blamed her husband's death on Helen's birth. She believed God had taken her husband because she had wished so much for a baby girl. Helen had three older brothers: Harry, Ed, and Sam. In Helen's early teen years, the family relocated to Brooklyn. Her mother married a house painter, whom Helen disliked. Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel. At 14, Helen was nearly raped by her stepfather; she defended herself with a kitchen knife, injuring him. Following this, Helen's mother permitted her to live with her piano teacher, Honey Silverman, and her family. While teaching her piano, Honey noticed Helen's singing ability and encouraged her to focus on singing instead. Anxious to find a career in singing, Helen dropped out of high school to pursue her dream.
Forrest returned to Atlantic City and began singing with her brother Ed's band. She soon returned to New York City, where she visited song publishers and performed an audition for a 15-minute slot for a local radio show. Around this time, Forrest was encouraged to change her name from "Fogel" because her name sounded "too Jewish." In 1934, 17-year-old Forrest began singing for WNEW in New York. She also performed for WCBS where she was known as “Bonnie Blue” and “The Blue Lady of Song.” Eventually she found a singing job at the Madrillon Club, in Washington, D.C., where she performed for approximately two years.
Read more about Helen Forrest on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Helen Forrest
The most expensive item with a signature of Helen Forrest (I Had the Craziest Dream - By Helen Forrest SIGNED 1st/1st VG/VG HC/DJ) was sold in June 2022 for $69.00 while the cheapest item (Singer Artist Musician Helen Forrest Hand Signed Autograph - 1940s Vintage Env) found a new owner for $1.00 in January 2021. The month with the most items sold (2) was April 2017 with an average selling price of $15.22 for an autographed item of Helen Forrest. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in May 2025 with $43.35 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $2.13 was March 2019. In average, an autographed item from Helen Forrest is worth $13.99.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Helen Forrest were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 1940s Autographed Photos of Helen Forrest, Harry James, Corky Corcoran, J.McAfee | $18.00 |  |
| 1940s Autographed Photos of Helen Forrest, Harry James, Corky Corcoran, J.McAfee | $20.50 | |
| 3 VINTAGE 1940'S / 1950'S HELEN FORREST SIGNED PHOTO'S | $10.00 | |
| 3~ BIG BAND ERA~ Photos AUTOGRAPHED, CORKY CORCORAN, HARRY JAMES, HELEN FORREST | $9.75 | |
| Autographed 8 X 10 Publicity Glossy HELEN FORREST 1960S | $37.00 | |
| Benny Goodman Band Helen Forrest Hand Signed Announcement Todd Mueller COA | $27.99 | |
 | HELEN FORREST - Original 8x10 Photo - AUTOGRAPHED | $43.35 | |
| HELEN FORREST (1917-1999) BIG BAND VOCALIST AUTOGRAPH 5 X 7 PHOTO~ | $27.04 | |
| Helen Forrest Big Band Singer Auto JSA Signed Vintage Album Page Died 1999 | $9.99 | |
| HELEN FORREST BIG BAND SINGER SIGNED AUTOGRAPH 1940s PHOTO | $25.00 | |
| Helen Forrest Big Band Vocalist signed photo | $12.00 | |
| Helen FORREST Monica LEWIS 1940s JAMES Big Band Photos (3) Signed Chesterfield | $15.95 | |
| Helen Forrest vintage signed photo | $12.00 | |
| SWING MUSIC SINGER HELEN FORREST ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPH ON INDEX CARD! | $7.95 | |
| Vintage Helen Forrest Signed Photo | $30.00 | |
