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The Heathertones
The Heathertones vocal quartet took form in 1946 with members Nancy Overton, Nancy Swain Overton, her sister Jean Swain, Bix Brent and Pauli Skindlov. Jean and Bix were both graduates of Smith College, while Nancy and Pauli had completed their studies at Juilliard. Pauli was replaced by Ellie Decker whose lead spot was eventually filled by Marianne McCormick for six of the seven years the group was together. They wrote all their own vocal arrangements and band lead sheets. Among their many recordings were those with Benny Goodman, Buddy Greco and Tommy Dorsey. They appeared regularly on network TV with Frank Sinatra, Bert Parks and others, always involved with the skits, live commercials, etc. typical of TV shows of that era. The group disbanded in 1953. Three recordings they made on October 27, 1949 with Buddy Greco and the Benny Goodman orchestra are available on a cd recording "Benny Goodman: 1949-1951". The songs are "Brother Bill", "Spin a Reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nancy Overton
Nancy Swain Overton (born Anne Swain; February 6, 1926 – April 5, 2009) was an American pop singer and songwriter. Biography Overton first formed a singing group with her sister Jean Swain and two college friends, Bix Brent and Pauli Skindlov in 1946. The group toured with orchestra leader Tommy Tucker for 6 months, was known as Tommy Tucker's Two Timers, and recorded the song "Maybe You'll Be There" with bandleader Tommy and his lead singer Don Brown. Pauli left the group and was replaced by Ellie Decker, who had previously sung with The Meltones (Mel Tormé's quartet). The band also then sang with singer and band leader Ray Heatherton from whom they acquired the bands' next moniker The Heathertones. After Decker left the group to get married, she was replaced as lead singer by Marianne McCormick. The Heathertones disbanded in 1953. Personal life Overton, who married jazz pianist/composer/arranger Hall Overton, sang "Nobody's Heart" as a solo vocalist with the Teddy Char ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Swain
Jean Adair Swain (August 12, 1923 – July 17, 2000) was born in New York City and grew up in Port Washington, Long Island, where she graduated from high school at age 16. Her musical talents included playing the cello in orchestras and chamber music groups, arranging, composing, and teaching. She was also an accomplished pianist.'Jean Adair Swain-obituary,' New York Times, July 23, 2000 She received her degree in music at Smith College (1945) where she was a founding member and arranger for the "Smithereens,"a singing group now a campus tradition. In 1946 she and her sister, Nancy Swain Overton, founded a vocal quartet The Heathertones with Bix Brent and Pauli Skindlov (later replaced by Marianne McCormick). After The Heathertones broke up, Jean pursued a career in documentary film production with Robert Drew where she was involved with filming of Yehudi Menuhin, Duke Ellington and the opening of the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. In 1988, she joined her sist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bix Brent
The Heathertones vocal quartet took form in 1946 with members Nancy Swain Overton, her sister Jean Swain, Bix Brent and Pauli Skindlov. Jean and Bix were both graduates of Smith College, while Nancy and Pauli had completed their studies at Juilliard. Pauli was replaced by Ellie Decker whose lead spot was eventually filled by Marianne McCormick for six of the seven years the group was together. They wrote all their own vocal arrangements and band lead sheets. Among their many recordings were those with Benny Goodman, Buddy Greco and Tommy Dorsey. They appeared regularly on network TV with Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ..., Bert Parks and others, always involved with the skits, live commercials, etc. typical of TV shows of that era. The group disba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College), Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters (colleges), Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. Smith is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other nearby institutions in the Pioneer Valley: Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst; students of each college are allowed to attend classes at any other member institution. On campus are Smith's Smith College Museum of Art, Museum of Art and The Botanic Garden of Smith College, Botanic Garden, the latter designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Smith has 41 academic departments and programs and is structured around a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elite drama, music, and dance schools in the world. History Early years: 1905-1946 In 1905, the Institute of Musical Art, Juilliard's predecessor institution, was founded by Frank Damrosch, the godson of Franz Liszt and head of music education for New York City's public schools, on the premise that the United States did not have a premier music school and too many students were going to Europe to study music. In 1919, a wealthy textile merchant named Augustus Juilliard died and left the school in his will the largest single bequest for the advancement of music at that time. In 1968, the school's name was changed from the Juilliard School of Music to The Juilliard School to reflect its broadened mission to educate musicians, directors, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938, is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music." Goodman's bands started the careers of many jazz musicians. During an era of racial segregation, he led one of the first integrated jazz groups, his quartet and quintet. He performed nearly to the end of his life while exploring an interest in classical music. Early years Goodman was the ninth of twelve children born to poor Jewish emigrants from the Russian Empire. His father, David Goodman (1873–1926), came to the United States in 1892 from Warsaw in partitioned Poland and became a tailor. His mother, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddy Greco
Armando Joseph "Buddy" Greco (August 14, 1926 – January 10, 2017) was an American jazz and pop singer and pianist who had a long career in the US and UK. His recordings have sold millions, including "Oh Look A-There Ain't She Pretty", " Up, Up and Away", and " Around the World". His most successful single was " The Lady Is a Tramp", which sold over one million copies. During his career, he recorded over sixty albums. He conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and performed for Queen Elizabeth II and with the Beatles. Music career Buddy Greco was born Armando Joseph Greco to an Italian-American family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Giuseppe Joseph Greco and Carmela Greco (born Piedimonte), who was originally from Ripabottoni in Molise, Italy. His mother introduced him to piano at age four. As a child he sang on the radio, and as a teen performed in nightclubs in Philadelphia. At age 16, he was hired by bandleader Benny Goodman and spent four years touring the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus No. 1, Opus One", "Song of India (song), Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, "I'll Never Smile Again". Early life Born in Mahanoy Plane, Pennsylvania, Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was the second of four children born to Thomas Francis Dorsey Sr., a bandleader, and Theresa (née Langton) Dorsey. He and Jimmy, his older brother by slightly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Network TV
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of terrestrial networks. Many early television networks (such as NBC, the ABC, or the BBC) evolved from earlier radio networks. Overview In countries where most networks broadcast identical, centrally originated content to all of their stations and where most individual television transmitters therefore operate only as large " repeater stations", the terms "television network", "television channel" (a numeric identifier or radio frequency) and "television station" have become mostly interchangeable in everyday language, with professionals in television-related occupations continuing to make a differentiation between them. Within the industry, a ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is among the List of best-selling music artists, world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150 million record sales. Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra was greatly influenced by the intimate, easy-listening vocal style of Bing Crosby and began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He found success as a solo artist after signing with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "Bobby soxer (music), bobby soxers". Sinatra released his debut album, ''The Voice of Frank Sinatra'', in 1946. When his film career stalled in the early 1950s, Sinatra turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best-known concert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bert Parks
Bert Parks (born Bertram Jacobson; December 30, 1914 – February 2, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979. Early life Parks was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Aaron Jacobson, a Jewish merchant who had immigrated to the United States in 1900 from Latvia (then part of the Russian Empire), and his wife Hattie (Spiegel) Jacobson, the daughter of immigrants from Austria-Hungary.US Census 1930, Atlanta, GA, Supervisor's District 4, Sheer 24A. He had one older brother, Allen Jacobson. Parks had his first experience in amateur theatre when he was four years old. He graduated from Marist School, a Catholic preparatory school in Atlanta. Radio Parks entered radio broadcasting at age 16, for Atlanta's WGST.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc.; , pg. 210. Three years lat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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