Born Ruth Shirley Wohl in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, Wallis began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards—with such bands as Isham Jones and Benny Goodman on road tours for a couple of months; but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs that she wrote herself, rife with double entendres.

[1] Despite this mainstream exposure, Wallis recognized that her nightclub repertoire of risqué material was steadier and more lucrative.

When she arrived in Australia for a tour in 1958, with songs like "The Admiral's Daughter" and "Johnny Had a Yo-Yo", customs agents seized her records.

Wallis retired in the 1970s to spend more time with her husband and two children, but continued to work on material for Broadway shows.

opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003; by closing date it had played nearly 300 performances.