Lynn Roberts (born Leonore Theresa Raisig; January 9, 1935 – January 21, 2017)Lynn T. Roberts
Sauls Funeral Home, accessed August 25, 2017.
The Island Packet, February 9, 2017. Accessed August 25, 2017. was an American

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

singer.

Life

She was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, and grew up in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. Her father, an accountant, encouraged her in show business, and she performed on stage aged 8. At age 15 she joined

Charlie Spivak Charlie Spivak (February 17, 1907 – March 1, 1982) was an American trumpeter and bandleader, best known for his big band in the 1940s. Early life The details of Spivak's birth are unclear. Some sources place it in Ukraine in 1907, and that h ...

's band.Legendary Swing Vocalist Lynn Roberts with The Bob Alberti Trio
The Jazz Corner, May 27, 2016. Accessed August 25, 2017.
''The New York Times'', January 29, 1984. Accessed August 25, 2017. She subsequently sang with the bands of

Vincent Lopez Vincent Lopez (December 30, 1895 – September 20, 1975) was an American bandleader, actor, and pianist. Early life and career Vincent Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, Distinguished Am ...

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

and

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People ...

and

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 co ...

, performing at venues including the

Cafe Rouge A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

and the Paramount Theatre in New York, and the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

in Los Angeles. In 1961 Roberts sang the vocal under the Kimbo Record Label, "Tom Tom Rock." Composed by McRae. Produced by Kimbo Music Pub. Co. Copyright 1961. For 18 months she sang on a TV show with

Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...

. She toured with

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

; she sang with the Pied Pipers for many years. She was the voice behind advertising

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

s for Pan Am, Chiquita Bananas, Campbell's Soup and others. Lynn Roberts was in the cast of the musical ''

Ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

'', which ran from December 1978 to March 1979.Lynn Roberts
Internet Broadway Database, accessed August 25, 2017. For four years until his death in 1983, she was the lead singer with the

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

band; during that period she performed with the band at President Ronald Reagan's inaugural ball. Her album ''Harry, You Made Me Love You'' was a tribute to Harry James, arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo. In later years she regularly sang with Bob Alberti's trio, in

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of C ...

, and her last album was ''Just Between Friends'', with Bob Alberti, whom she had known in Charlie Spivak's band. She died aged 82 on January 21, 2017, at her home in Sun City Hilton Head.

Family

She married Daryl Campbell, the lead trumpet player in the Charlie Spivak orchestra, at the age of 19; they were married for 17 years, and had three children. She later married Lewis Hankins.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Lynn 1935 births 2017 deaths People from Brooklyn 20th-century American singers American women jazz singers American jazz singers Big band singers 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from New York (state) People from Queens, New York 21st-century American women