Jean Adair Swain (August 12, 1923 – July 17, 2000) was born in
New York City and grew up in
Port Washington,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, where she graduated from high school at age 16. Her musical talents included playing the
cello in
orchestras and
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
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
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 ...
(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
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 a ...
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
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
and the opening of the
Metropolitan Opera at
Lincoln Center.
In 1988, she joined her sister in a re-formed
Chordettes of "Mr. Sandman" fame.
Lynn Evans
K. Lynn Evans (born c. 1964) is an American educator and politician.
Education and teaching career
Evans graduated from Aurelia High School in Aurelia, Iowa, in 1982. He then completed his bachelor's degree in physical education and biology at ...
was an original member of that group and Nancy had sung with them for four years. Completing the foursome was Doris Alberti, a long-time
barbershop music singer. hey performed at
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
, the
Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (or simply the Nassau Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, east of New York City. The Long Island venue is approximately east of the eastern limits of the New York City Borough of ...
and toured with
Eddy Arnold. In 1997 the group disbanded and Jean returned to her first love—playing cello in chamber groups and orchestras.
References
Sources
*Information from interviews with Nancy Overton.
Smith College alumni
2000 deaths
1923 births
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
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