John Gary
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John Gary (born John Gary Strader; November 29, 1932 – January 4, 1998) was an American singer, recording artist, television host, and performer on the musical stage.


Early life

From
Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...
, Gary started singing at the age of 5. He joined his older sister, Shirley Strader. At the age of 9, he won a 3-year scholarship to the prestigious Cathedral School of St John in Manhattan. He auditioned for the choir master, Norman Coke-Jeffcott. At the age of 10, Gary had won two (2) pins of distinction from the American Theatre Wing Merchant Seaman's Club for the Stage Door Canteen. Aged 12, he toured the southern states with Frank Pursley, a blind pianist for the Mason Conservatory.


Career

Gary sang in movies, on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, had his own prime time network television variety series and appeared at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
, with numerous orchestras. He appeared thirty times as a guest on ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' with
Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar repo ...
,
Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...
and
Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
. He traveled across the US and Canada with approximately 40 concerts per year. For six years he gave community concerts in over 400 cities and towns. He recorded 24 albums for
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
. Prior to national stardom, Gary appeared on local New Orleans television station
WDSU-TV WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's Central Business District, and its transmitt ...
, as a regular feature on the noontime television show ''Midday''. He also appeared at the Blue Room of the
Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...
(later Fairmont) Hotel. He performed ''The John Gary Show'', three fifteen-minute shows a week, presaging his national (
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
) show a decade later, a summer replacement for the ''
Danny Kaye Show ''The Danny Kaye Show'' was an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premier ...
''. Gary was considered by many to be one of the most talented of popular singers due to his extraordinary breath control and tonal quality of his voice. He had an exceptionally wide range of octaves. His singing ranged from robust
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
to a high sweet
tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
often in the same song. Many popular songs of the time were suited to his intimate style. Gary first recorded on
Fraternity Records Fraternity Records is a small record label based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was started by Harry Carlson and silent partner Dr. Ashton Welsh in 1954. The first recording to be released on Fraternity was Jerri Winters' "Winter's Here". The first hit ...
between 1958 and 1960. In 1960, he joined
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
and composed several popular songs. After signing with RCA Victor, Gary was nominated for a 1964
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best New Artist. He was a favorite singer of fellow RCA Victor artist
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. He had five songs that made the adult contemporary (or easy listening) chart in ''Billboard'' magazine. The song "Cold", released in 1967, was his most successful, topping the chart for two weeks at the end of that year. However, the song failed to crack the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart. In 1968 he voiced
John Alden John Alden (c. 1598 - September 12, 1687) was a crew member on the historic 1620 voyage of the ''Mayflower'' which brought the English settlers commonly known as Pilgrims to Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, US. He was hired in Sou ...
in the
Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
Animated TV special ''
The Mouse on the Mayflower ''The Mouse on the Mayflower'' is a 1968 animated Thanksgiving television special created by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by Japanese studio Toei Animation. It was the first official special under the Rankin/Bass moniker after changing i ...
''. RCA has reissued some of his recordings and a 92-track, four-CD box set on the Collectables label. He served honorably in the United States Marine Corps. John Gary died in 1998 at age 65 of cancer in Dallas, Texas.


Discography

LP ALBUMS **LA BREA 8010/S8010-1961 pre RCA Victor only known album on this label; probably unauthorized collection of demonstration recordings. **RCA VICTOR *LPM/LSP-2745 — '' Catch a Rising Star'' (1963) *LPM/LSP-2804 — ''Encore'' (1964) *LPM/LSP-2922 — ''So Tenderly'' (1964) *LPM/LSP-2940 — ''The John Gary Christmas Album'' (1964) *LPM/LSP-2947 — ''David Merrick Presents Hits from His Hits'', with Ann-Margret (1964) *LPM/LSP-3349 — ''The Nearness of You'' (1965) *LPM/LSP-3411 — ''Your All-Time Favorite Songs'' (1965) *LPM/LSP-2994 — ''A Little Bit of Heaven'' (1965) *LPM/LSP-3666— ''A Heart Filled with Song'' (1966) *LPM/LSP-3570 — ''Your All-Time Country Favorites'' (1966) *LPM/LSP-3501— ''Choice'' (1966) *LPM/LSP-3695 — ''Especially for You'' (1967) *LOC/LS0-1139 — ''Carnegie Hall Concert'' (1967) *LPM/LSP-3730 — ''The Best of John Gary'' (1967) *LPM/LSP-3785 — ''Spanish Moonlight'' (1967) *LPM/LSP-3928 — ''On Broadway'' (1968) *LPM/LSP-3992 — ''John Gary Sings/John Gary Swings'' (1968) *LSP-4075 — ''Holding Your Mind'' (1968) *LSP-4233 — ''That's the Way It Was'' (1969) *VPS-6041 — ''This is John Gary'' (2 record set) (1971) **RCA CAMDEN *CAS-983 — ''The One and Only John Gary'' (1966) *CAS-2199 — ''That Warm and Tender Glow'' (1968) **KAMA-SUTRA *KSBS-2606 — ''Constantly'' (1975) **RCA INTERNATIONAL *NL89471 — ''Sincerely Yours'' (1984) **CHURCHILL *CHS67236 — ''In a Class By Himself'' (undated) **BRIARWOOD- *(no number)— ''On Tour'' (date unknown) COMPACT DISCS **RCA/BEAUTIFUL MUSIC COMPANY *DV01-0899 — ''All-Time Heart-Touching Favorites'' (1989) *DMC1-1328 — ''Songs of Love & Romance'' (1996) **AUDIOPHILE RECORDS-ACD-274 — ''Sings Cole Porter'' (1994) **RCA *07863-66998-2 — ''The Very Best of John Gary'' (1997) *DMC-12630 — ''The John Gary Christmas Album'' (2000) *69395-2— ''The Essential John Gary'' (2001) **RCA/COLLECTABLES COL-CD *2844 — ''The Nearness of You''/''All-Time Favorite Songs'' (2002) *2806 — ''So Tenderly''/''A Little Bit of Heaven'' (2002) *2805 — ''Catch a Rising Star''/''Encore'' (2002) *2865 — ''A Heart Filled With Song''/''Choice'' (2003) *2869 — ''Carnegie Hall Concert'' (2004) *7320 — ''The One and Only John Gary''/''That Warm and Tender Glow'' (2004)


See also

* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gary, John 1932 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American singers Singers with a three-octave vocal range RCA Victor artists Ace Records (United States) artists American male composers 20th-century American composers American male voice actors United States Marines People from Watertown, New York 20th-century American male singers USA Records artists Deaths from cancer in Texas