Baby Esther Returning (1929)

Esther Jones' contract between her manager Lou Bolton and her mother Gertrude Jones ended in Paris not too long after she appeared at the Empire. So Esther canceled all of her Parisian engagements and returned to America. But not too long after Esther's family signed another contract and Esther toured the rest of Europe in a revue from 1929-1930. And by 1931, toured South America, where she made her mark in history with Gordon Stretton. 

Esther Lee Jones from Chicago was known as Baby Esther, Lil' Esther and Little Esther. She had three different stage names, which is why she was so hard to locate. This is the performer linked to the Betty Boop story. You know for the origins of the "scat singing" technique that Helen Kane adapted to "Boop-Boop-a-Doop." True research proves that Esther was emulating Florence Mills, who in turn was emulating Gertrude Saunders. Look up the all-black musical "Shuffle Along" for reference.

As you know there is another Esther Jones from Texas, known as Esther Mae Jones, who also used the names Lil' Esther and Little Esther, and she was better known as Esther Mae Phillips. But she wasn't born until 1935, and didn't debut until the 1940s. Which indicates that there were "two" Esther Jones' from two different decades.