 Dorothy changed her name to "Shay" in order to not be confused with Ginny Simms, another performer of the day, choosing "Shay" to honor her mentor Betty Shay (later Betty Corday).While performing with Morton Gould and his orchestra, she performed an encore, "Uncle Fud", a hayseed novelty number that became popular and launched her solo singing career.She signed with Columbia Records and recorded a series of hit records.