Loraine Wyman was born in Evanston, Illinois around 1885. In early childhood, she moved with her mother Julie Wyman, a professional vocalist, to France where she was continuing her vocal training. Loraine studied in Paris with Yvette Guilbert and in New York with Frida de Gebele. In 1916 she made a six-week tour of Appalachia with Howard Brockaway collecting the folk music of the region and resulting in two published volumes: Lonesome Tunes and Twenty Kentucky Mountain Songs. She was a member of the AmericThe an Folklore Society and contributed folk songs to the 1917 and 1920 issues of the Journal of American Folk-lore.