Her father was a Methodist clergyman,[2] and her older sister Olive Lennox was a pianist who sometimes accompanied her.

[5] Her father's work meant that she lived in various towns as a child; she counted Benton Harbor, Michigan as one of her hometowns.

[6] Lennox began her professional singing career as a church soloist in Chicago, and in New York.

[5][7][8] She sang mainly in concert and oratorio programs,[9][10] and made over 150 recordings in the 1920s, on the Brunswick, Edison, Victor, and Columbia labels.

[13] She explained that making recordings helped her hear her own voice and find where improvements were needed.