Nellie Small (1900-1968), was born Ellen E. Small in Sydney, of Aboriginal and West Indian background. She began her career in theatre during the 1920s, and was a mainstay of Australian performance over the succeeding three decades as a nightclub entertainer, jazz and blues singer, male impersonator and comic. In this 1954 5AD radio interview with Ron Sullivan, Small speaks about about the warm reception she is receiving in Adelaide and her previous tours in 1936 and 1937. She also speaks about working at Sammy Lee's Club in Sydney, performing in the musical Chu Chin Chow, working with Les Welch and her West Indian heritage. She talks about her start in show business in 1931 working with Queenie Paul at Clay's Variety in Oxford Street, Sydney, and her preference for wearing male attire.