Abbott Vaughn Meader (March 20, 1936 – October 29, 2004) was an American comedian,
impersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone:
*Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
, musician, and film actor.
Meader began his career as a musician but later found fame in the early 1960s after the release of the 1962 comedy record ''
The First Family'', written and produced by
Bob Booker
Robert Booker (born 25 January 1958) is an English former footballer who primarily played as a midfielder but often filled other roles in his later years. Born in Watford, England he started his career at Brentford in 1978 where he spent ten ...
and Earle Doud. The album spoofed President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
– who was played by Meader – and became the fastest selling "pre-
Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
" album in history
and went on to win the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...
in 1963. At the peak of his popularity, he performed his Kennedy impersonation on variety shows and in nightclubs around the country and was profiled in several magazines.
Meader's career success came to an abrupt end after President Kennedy was
assassinated in November 1963. Producer Bob Booker quickly pulled ''The First Family'' from stores so as not to appear to be profiting from the deceased President, and Meader's bookings were cancelled. He attempted to take his career in a different direction by performing non-Kennedy-related comedy and released a new comedy album, ''Have Some Nuts!!!'', in early 1964. However, sales for the album were low as public interest in Meader had waned. His career never rebounded as he was
too closely associated with President Kennedy. Meader eventually returned to his native Maine where he resumed performing music and managed a pub.
Early life
Meader was born in
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...
during one of the worst floods ever to hit
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
: he often said he was born on "the night the West Bridge washed out". He was the only child of Charles Vaughn Meader, a millworker, and Mary Ellen Abbott. After his father broke his neck and drowned in a diving accident when Meader was only eighteen months old, his mother moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
to work as a cocktail waitress, leaving Meader behind with relatives. A sometimes unruly and troubled child, Meader was sent to live with his mother in Boston at the age of five but she suffered from alcoholism, and placed him in a children's home.
After shuttling among several schools in Massachusetts and Maine, Meader eventually graduated from
Brookline
Brookline may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston
* Brookline, Missouri
* Brookline, New Hampshire
* Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Brookline, Vermont
See ...
High School in 1953. He
enlisted
Enlisted may refer to:
* Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...
in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and was stationed in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
as a laboratory technician. He formed a country music band – the Rhine Rangers – with fellow soldiers, later adding impressions of popular singers to his repertoire. Meader married the German-born Vera Heller in 1955.
Career
Meader began his career in entertainment as a singer and piano player. Upon his return from Germany, he began a comedy act in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he discovered his skill at impersonating Kennedy. With his New England
accent naturally close to Kennedy's familiar, and often parodied,
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
accent, he needed to adjust his voice only slightly to sound like the President. Meader also mastered the facial expressions that allowed him to bear a passable resemblance to Kennedy.
''The First Family''
On October 22, 1962, Meader joined writers Bob Booker and Earle Doud and a small cast of entertainers to record ''The First Family''. The album poked fun at Kennedy's
PT-109 PT1 may refer to:
* 486958 Arrokoth (New Horizons PT1), a Kuiper belt object and selected target for a flyby of the New Horizons probe
* Pratt & Whitney PT1, a free-piston gas-turbine engine
* Consolidated PT-1 Trusty, a 1930s USAAS primary trainer ...
history; the
rocking chair
A rocking chair or rocker is a type of chair with two curved bands (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs, connecting the legs on each side to each other. The rockers contact the floor at only two points, giving the occupant ...
s he used for his
back pain
Back pain is pain felt in the back. It may be classified as neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone or sacral pain) based on the segment affected. The lumbar area is the most common area ...
; the Kennedy family's well-known athleticism,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
games and family togetherness; children in the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
; and
Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...
's soft-spoken nature and her redecoration of the Executive Mansion. ''The First Family'' became the fastest-selling record in the history of the United States. It sold 1.2 million copies during the first two weeks of its release, and ultimately sold 7.5 million copies.
Kennedy himself was said to have given copies of the album as Christmas gifts, and once greeted a
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
group by saying, "Vaughn Meader was busy tonight, so I came myself."
At one press conference, Kennedy was asked if the album had produced "annoyment or enjoyment." He jokingly responded, "I listened to Mr. Meader's record and, frankly, I thought it sounded more like
Teddy
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Tedd ...
than it did me. So, now ''he's'' annoyed." Kennedy told
Benjamin Bradlee that "parts of it were amusing." Other sources, such as Thomas C. Reeves' ''A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy'', state that President Kennedy was upset with the parodies, and that First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...
was furious, even demanding that the President keep Meader off radio and television. It was the parodies of their children Caroline and John Jr. that Mrs. Kennedy was most upset about.
Still in his 20s, Meader was suddenly famous, rich, and in constant demand. He was profiled in ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' and ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' magazines, appeared on network television variety shows such as ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...
,'' ''
The Jack Paar Program
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 ...
'', ''
The Andy Williams Show
''The Andy Williams Show'' was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'')Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time N ...
'' and ''
Hootenanny
A hootenanny is a party involving music in the United States. It is particularly associated with folk music.
Etymology Placeholder
Hootenanny is an Appalachian colloquialism that was used in the early twentieth century U.S. as a placeholder nam ...
''. Meader also made a couple of game show appearances, first as a mystery guest on ''
What's My Line
''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
'' on December 30, 1962, The following week, Meader and Naomi Brossart (who played Jackie Kennedy on the "First Family" albums) appeared on ''
To Tell The Truth'' in which the panel had to guess who the real Naomi Brossart was amongst the three lady contestants.
Though a series of tour dates in early 1963 were notably unsuccessful (''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' reported that he "bombed" in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, and only 742 people showed up in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
), he still played to packed houses in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. ''The First Family'' won the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...
in 1963. That March, Meader recorded a follow-up album, ''The First Family Volume Two'', a combination of spoken comedy and songs performed by actors and comedians portraying members of the President's family and White House staff. The sequel was released in the spring of 1963, and while not as successful as the first volume, still sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
In July 1963, Meader left
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City whose labels had a picture of a metronome. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952. Cadence also lau ...
and Booker/Dowd to sign with
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
. Meader planned to record general satire and abandon his JFK impersonations.
Assassination aftermath
In November 1963, Meader was busy recording a new comedy record, written by a different group of writers and not involving his Kennedy impersonation. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas, Texas effectively ending Meader's career. Copies of ''The First Family'' were pulled from stores and a JFK-related Christmas single by Meader ("St. Nick Visits The White House" b/w "T'was The Night Before Christmas 1963") that had been released by MGM's
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...
shortly before the assassination was quickly withdrawn. Appearances that were already booked were cancelled, including one for the
Grammy Awards
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 ...
ceremony. An episode of ''
The Joey Bishop Show'', which Meader filmed one week before the assassination and was set to air in February 1964, was pulled from the lineup. The episode never aired and was reportedly destroyed.
Meader reportedly first learned of President Kennedy's assassination after hailing a taxicab in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
. The driver, recognizing his celebrity passenger, asked "Did you hear about Kennedy in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
?" Meader thought the driver was telling a joke and responded "No, how does it go?" The driver then informed Meader of President Kennedy's death. Meader then heard the breaking news bulletins over the taxi's radio.
According to several sources, stand-up comedian
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, free-wheeling, and critical style of comedy which ...
went on with his November 22 nightclub show as scheduled. Just hours after Kennedy's death, Bruce walked onstage, stood silently for several moments, then said, "Boy, is Vaughn Meader fucked." The joke proved true; Meader discovered that he was so completely
typecast
In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
as a Kennedy impersonator that he could not find anyone willing to hire him for any of his other talents.
His non-Kennedy album for Verve Records, ''Have Some Nuts!!!'', came out to minimal attention in early 1964. A similar follow-up ''If The Shoe Fits...'' was released in late 1964, and included
sketches on almost everything except the Kennedys, but sales were meager at best. Meader's income evaporated, new-found friends and associates stopped calling, and by 1965 Meader was virtually broke. Sinking into depression, he became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and was forced to take whatever work he could find.
He reunited with Earle Doud in 1971 for an album called ''The Second Coming'', a comedic look at what life would be like for Jesus if he had returned to Earth around the time of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'', but airplay and sales were virtually nonexistent.
Later years
Meader tried several times to revive his career, but achieved only moderate success, and even then mostly outside of show business. He appeared briefly in the 1975 movie ''
Linda Lovelace for President
''Linda Lovelace for President'', also known as ''Hot Neon'', is a 1975 American comedy film directed by Claudio Guzmán and starring Linda Lovelace, who achieved notoriety as the central character in the most profitable X-rated film of all time, ...
'' and has a very brief cameo on the 1981
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. Sometimes known as the "Man of a Thousand Voices", Little has recorded nine comedy albums and made numerous television appearances, including ...
comedy album ''The First Family Rides Again'', which both parodied
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and paid homage to the original ''First Family'' album. Both the Kennedy and Reagan ''First Family'' albums were produced by Earle Doud.
Eventually, Meader resumed a career in
bluegrass and
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
, becoming a popular local performer in his native Maine. During the mid-1970s, he performed in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, mostly at a small tavern known as the Storefront Congregation, under the name "Abbott Meader and the Honky-Tonk Angels." Meader sang and played piano.
Personal life and death
Meader was married four times. He married his fourth wife, Sheila Colbath, in 1984. They remained married until his death.
Sheila was a caller on the NPR radio show ''
Car Talk
''Car Talk'' is a radio talk show that was broadcast weekly on National Public Radio (NPR) stations and elsewhere. Its subjects were automobiles and automotive repair, often discussed humorously. It was hosted by brothers Tom and Ray Maglioz ...
'' in 1992, where she mentioned that her husband was running for President. She questioned the hosts about a particular car, which she and Vaughn were considering taking on the campaign trail. Her call has been replayed as part of episode #2234 on the ''Car Talk'' podcast.
On October 29, 2004, Meader died of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...
at the age of 68.
Legacy
Meader has been posthumously credited for having broken new ground in the area of political humor, particularly in impersonations of the President of the United States.
In July 2006, nearly two years after Meader's death, the independent documentary ''First Impersonator'' premiered at the
Maine International Film Festival
The Maine International Film Festival, or MIFF, is a 10-day film festival held annually in Waterville, Maine. The festival usually runs in the third week of July at Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House. Founded in 1998, the festi ...
in Waterville, Maine, Meader's birth town.
The film chronicled Meader's life and death, his rise to fame and equally famous fall from it, and his influence on today's political impersonators.
Filmography
References
External links
*
NPR tribute to Vaughn MeaderVaughn Meader on ''The Andy Williams Show''(March 28, 1963) in color
"JFK Impersonator Vaughn Meader: Death of a Career"''Mobituaries with Mo Racca'' podcast episode, 52 min.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meader, Vaughn
1936 births
2004 deaths
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from Maine
American male film actors
American male comedians
American impressionists (entertainers)
Cadence Records artists
Respiratory disease deaths in Maine
Grammy Award winners
Singers from Maine
People from Waterville, Maine
United States Army soldiers
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American comedians
American male pianists
20th-century American male singers