Eva Mae LeFevre was born in McCall, South Carolina on August 7, 1917 to the home of Reverend and Mrs. H.L. Whittington. At the age of five, Eva Mae began singing at her father's street-corner services. At the age of six, Eva Mae was playing the pump organ at her father's church. She would have to sit on her father's lap to reach the keys while her father would pump the pedals on the organ.