Throughout her lifetime, Tempest Storm came to known as the Queen of Exotic Dancers. This extravagant title didn’t come for nothing, as the extremely well-endowed dancer made quite the name for herself during her burlesque career. The star got into the business by accident when she was only 17 years old. Though she balked burlesque standards by refusing to show her breasts, she quickly became one of the biggest figures in the industry! The dancer was performing shows in Las Vegas well into her twilight years, but has sadly passed away. Still, her memory lives on through her work. Join Facts Verse as we examine how Tempest Storm was irresistible in her younger years.
Tempest Storm Abused by Her Parents
Tempest Storm was born on February 29, 1928, in Eastman, Georgia. At the time of her birth, the future Queen Stripper known as Annie Banks. It wouldn’t be until later into Tempest’s teen years that she would given her more famous stage name. As a child, Tempest had dreams of becoming a movie star. These dreams would end up coming to fruition, though certainly not in the way that she had envisioned back then! Sadly, Tempest’s rough upbringing made it unlikely that she would ever be able to find success in a more traditional mode of entertainment. The young girl was the victim of abusive parents. And the abuse that she suffered at home caused her to run away at the age of 14.
Young Tempest was intent on making a living for herself one way or another. And she ended up supporting herself as a waitress after running away from home. Tempest became a cocktail waitress during her teen years. And it was while working as a cocktail waitress that she ended up catching the eye of the man that would bring her into the burlesque business. When Tempest was only 17 years of age, a man approached her by the name of Lillian Hunt. This man was a theatre manager who said that he had an audition that would be perfect for the young woman. With her intangible dreams of stardom still firmly intact, Tempest accepted the opportunity without even knowing exactly what it was.
Though young Tempest had dreams of becoming a star. She was too shy as a teenager to try out for acting roles. Because of this, being approached by Lillian Hunt seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally make good on her dreams. Tempest went to the audition that Lillian Hunt had set up for her. Though she wasn’t exactly sure what type of role it was that she was auditioning for. According to her, she was nervous that her breasts were going to be too large for the part. The young woman had become exceptionally well endowed by that point in time. And had become rather self-conscious about her enormous bosom. Little did she know that her breasts were exactly what would get her the job!
Tempest Started Stripping at the Age of 17
Lillian Hunt had arranged for Tempest Storm to audition with the theater manager of a burlesque club by the name of Follies Theater. According to Tempest, she wasn’t even entirely sure what burlesque was at the time. Once she became aware of what type of work it was that she was auditioning for. A 17-year-old Tempest was hesitant at first, but eventually agreed to try her hand at stripping. Tempest started out in the role of a chorus dancer. Though it would only be a few weeks before she would end up dancing solo on the stage. At the age of just 17, Tempest had become a full-fledged stripper. However, she was adamant that she was going to keep her brassiere on throughout her act.
Of course, most burlesque performers start their performances with their brassiere on and end them with it off. But Tempest was adamant about her refusal to fall in line with this tradition. Thankfully, the audience found young Tempest’s massive breasts so appealing that they shelled out the big bucks to look at them whether they were fully exposed or not! Though she refused to fully bare her breasts to the audience, she still gave them plenty to look at. Tempest had a natural presence on the stage. And she knew how to maneuver her massive endowments so that the audience could get a great view without seeing everything.
It around the time that Tempest Storm debuted as a solo dancer on the stage at Follies Theater that she was officially christened with her stage name. Before that, she had simply been known as Annie. From then on, she would be known to the world as Tempest Storm. Later, she would come to known by a third title, with that third title being the Queen of Exotic Dancers. If you’re enjoying this video so far, consider clicking the “join” button below to become a Facts Verse member. Doing so will give you access to exclusive videos featuring content too risqué for YouTube!
Tempest Storm Considered the Queen Stripper
Not long after breaking out onto the burlesque scene, Tempest Storm became the highest-paid stripper in the entire world! The Queen Stripper was born. And she even became romantically involved with the King of Rock and Roll for a period of time. Elvis got with many women over the course of his career, and he couldn’t resist the Queen Stripper! In addition to performing on the stage around the country, Tempest also eventually given the chance to make a name for herself in other mediums, including film. Tempest could seen in plenty of magazines. Though her most widespread exposure came via her appearances in dirty movies such as French Peep Show and Striptease Girl. The former released in 1950, while the latter was released in 1952. Around this time, Tempest married a burlesque comedian by the name of John Becker.
After a few years in the burlesque industry, Tempest began to dream of making her exit. Her and John Becker came up with the idea of moving out to Portland, Oregon, and purchasing a theater. Initially, Tempest had envisioned running a legitimate theater. Perhaps she had wanted to try and make good on her childhood dreams of becoming a legitimate actress. However, John eventually managed to convince her that it would be more lucrative for the both of them if she continued her career as an exotic dancer.
Tempest and John purchased an abandoned theater in Portland. And the theater eventually opened up with Tempest as it’s headlining act. People came from all over the area to see the famous Queen Stripper do what she did best, and her star continued to soar. However, her success in Portland wasn’t meant to last, as a stripper feud was about to start.
Tempest’s Portland Stripper Feud
At their club, John performed burlesque comedy alongside his wife. And the two found massive amounts of success in the city of Portland. Competing burlesque clubs began to grow angry. And one club decided to take things to the next level by importing a California burlesque dancer who had a history with John. The club began billing this dancer as “John’s Other Wife”. And the ensuing controversy was enough to draw in plenty of audience members. This marketing gimmick was innocent enough at first, but things soured when this other dancer began to take the feud a little bit too seriously. It seems that this dancer actually did have some negative feelings leftover from her relationship with John. And she was plenty jealous of Tempest Storm.
This other dancer was a woman by the name of Arabella Andre. To Arabella, the feud between her and Tempest Storm was more than just a marketing gimmick. Arabella took the feud so seriously that she threatened to throw acid on Tempest’s face. One night, Arabella apparently rang Tempest and John’s doorbell. Tempest and John answered the door together cautiously, and Arabella proceeded to throw a glass of liquid in Tempest’s face. The liquid in the glass turned out to only be water. But Arabella had certainly made her point about how easy it would be for her to make good on her threat of scarring Tempest’s face with acid.
Fearing that the insanely jealous Arabella was truly going to end up throwing acid in her face. Tempest Storm eventually agreed to leave the town of Portland, Oregon, behind. Thankfully, the star still had a huge audience throughout the rest of the country. The whole experience soured Tempest’s marriage to John, and the two would wind up divorcing not long afterwards. In 1959, Tempest went on to marry a legitimate actor by the name of Herb Jeffries. Though Herb was white, he had become notable during the 1930s for starring in several feature films that were aimed at an African-American audience, including Harlem on the Prairie.
Tempest Chose Her Career Over Her Daughter
Herb and Tempest were married from 1959 to 1967, and they had a daughter during that period by the name of Patricia. Tempest refused to give up her career as an exotic dancer after Patricia was born. At first, Tempest would bring her baby with her to all of her erotic performances. However, death threats from fans eventually caused Tempest to leave her baby at home. As a result of Tempest’s refusal to set aside her role as Queen Stripper to be there for her child, the two went on to have an estranged relationship. After continuing to travel around the globe as an exotic dancer, Tempest eventually settled down as a regular in Las Vegas.
Tempest Storm Passed Away in 2021
Tempest Storm continued dancing into her 80s, and served as a mentor to many young burlesque dancers in the Las Vegas area. From their perspective, meeting Tempest Storm was like meeting the pope! At the height of her burlesque career, Tempest was said to have been able to get her 44DD boobs ensured for a whopping sum of $1 million. Sadly, these massive breasts took their toll on Tempest’s frame over time, and her bones were in a sad state in the years leading up to her death. A hip surgery left her out of commission shortly before her eventual passing, which occurred as a result of an unrelated illness on April 20, 2021.
Though Tempest Storm refused to show her breasts during her days as a burlesque dancer, her huge boobs were attractive enough to audience members that they showed up even if they were partially covered. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Queen Stripper Tempest Storm never wanted to be an exotic dancer, and that she brought her only child with her to performances when she was a baby? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
