Amy Arnell was an American singer, best known for her work with
Tommy Tucker and his orchestra.
Early years
Arnell was born in
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...
, and raised in
Portsmouth, Virginia. As early as age 3, she would sit on a piano and sing while her mother played. She attended
Woodrow Wilson High School and the
College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...
and gained singing experience in her church choir and on radio stations.
[ ]
Before she made a career of singing, she worked as a secretary.
Career
Arnell caught the attention of Tucker when he heard her sing while he and his band were in Portsmouth. She auditioned for him and was hired. Later, her recording of "
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" with the Tucker orchestra "became a smash hit", selling half a million records for
Columbia.
[ ] The recording's success boosted the band from cheaper one-night stands "into the higher brackets."
Arnell also appeared with Tucker and his orchestra in the
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
''It's Tommy Tucker Time'' (1943), which was part of the
RKO Pictures Jamboree Series. The short was reissued in 1947.
Arnell debuted on radio in Detroit on
Phil Baker's program,
and in 1937-1938 she sang with Tucker's orchestra on
George Jessel's ''Thirty Minutes in Hollywood'' program.
In 1939–1940, she appeared with Tucker and his orchestra on ''
Pot o' Gold''.
In December 1945, she joined the cast of ''
The Abbott and Costello Show
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', replacing vocalist
Connie Haines
Connie Haines (born Yvonne Marie Antoinette Jasme; January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008) was an American singer and actress. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band songs with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Fra ...
.
On December 7, 1943, Arnell left Tucker to do a solo act, performing at theaters. A review in the trade publication ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' in December 1943 evaluated her performance with the comment, "Lacking a voice and with averaged delivery and looks, she scores mildly here."
Other activities
Arnell was half-owner of a florist shop in Hollywood.
References
External links
Tommy Tucker's recording of "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" from YouTube
20th-century American women singers
Singers from Virginia
20th-century American singers
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