John Arthur Rae, CM, DFC (May 14, 1921 – October 5, 2006) was a Canadian singer, songwriter and television performer.

Biography

He was born John Arthur Cohen to immigrants in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1921. His father Goodman Cohen was Lithuanian and his mother Nellie (Rae) Cohen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Jackie began performing at the age of three with his brother and sister on the vaudeville circuit in Canada, billed as the "Three Little Rae's of Sunshine". Rae flew Spitfires as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. During the 1950s, he was the host of ''The Jackie Rae Show'', a variety show on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. Rae later moved to London where he performed on television for the BBC,

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...

and

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

. He compered the popular show ''Spot The Tune'' for two years (1959–1960) with singer Marion Ryan, and was subsequently the host of the first series of ''

The Golden Shot ''The Golden Shot'' is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show '' Der goldene Schuß''. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, but three other ...

'' which he presented during 1967. He formed a dance band known as

the Spitfire Band John Arthur Rae, Order of Canada, CM, Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC (May 14, 1921 – October 5, 2006) was a Canadians, Canadian singer, songwriter and television performer. Biography He was born John Arthur Cohen to immig ...

in 1981 which toured across Canada. In 2002, he was named as a Member of the Order of Canada. Songs written by Rae were hits for

Donald Peers Donald Rhys Hubert Peers (10 July 1908 – 9 August 1973) was a popular Welsh people, Welsh singer. His best remembered rendition and signature song was "In a Shady Nook by a Babbling Brook". Biography Early life Peers was born in the Welsh m ...

and Eddy Arnold ('' Please Don't Go''), and

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

('' Happy Heart''). He collaborated with Les Reed on songs performed by Engelbert Humperdinck and Tony Bennett.

Personal life

Rae was married to British actress Janette Scott from 1959 to 1965. He later married Canadian singer and actress Patrician McKinnon. Rae died in Toronto in 2006, aged 85. His brother

Saul Forbes Rae Saul Forbes Rae (December 31, 1914 – January 9, 1999) was a Canadian diplomat during the Pearsonian era of Canadian foreign policy. Life and career Rae's father was born Goodman Cohen. in Palanga, Lithuania. The Cohen family had moved to ...

was a Canadian diplomat and ambassador. His nephew,

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

, is a longtime politician and a former premier of the Province of Ontario.

References

External links

'Canadian singer and showman Jackie Rae dies' (CBC)
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The Jackie Rae Show
- Canadian Communication Foundation {{DEFAULTSORT:Rae, Jackie 1921 births 2006 deaths Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Canadian male singers Canadian people of Scottish-Jewish descent Canadian people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Canadian pop singers Canadian songwriters Canadian television hosts CBC Television people Members of the Order of Canada Musicians from London Musicians from Winnipeg Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Vaudeville performers Writers from London Writers from Winnipeg 20th-century Canadian male singers 20th-century English musicians Royal Canadian Air Force officers Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto