John Marcus Lathrop (May 11, 1913,

Sherburne, New York Sherburne is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 4,048 at the 2010 census. The town contains two villages, Sherburne and Earlville. The town is at the northern border of Chenango County. History The area th ...

– January 9, 1987,

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...

) was an American vocalist and guitarist with the

Tune Twisters The Tune Twisters was an American jazz vocal trio founded in 1934 as The Freshmen by Andy Love, Robert "Bob" Wacker, and Jack Lathrop, who also played guitar. They were featured on radio broadcasts and recorded with jazz artists that included (i) ...

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

, and

Hal McIntyre Hal McIntyre (born Harold William McIntyre; November 29, 1914, Cromwell, Connecticut – May 5, 1959 Los Angeles, California) was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. McIntyre played extensively as a teenager and led his ow ...

. Beginning around 1947, Lathrop was leader of the Drug Store Cowboys.

Career

Guitarist and vocalist in combos and big bands

In the mid 1930s, Lathrop was one of founding members of the

, a swing jazz vocal trio originally composed of Andy Love (1911–1982), Robert Wacker (1909–1985), and himself. The Tune Twisters were featured on radio broadcasts and also recorded and performed with jazz artists that included

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...

in 1935 (with Noble, the

were initially known as "The Freshmen"),

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...

in 1935,

in 1937, and

Adrian Rollini Adrian Francis Rollini (June 28, 1903 – May 15, 1956) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played the bass saxophone, piano, vibraphone, and many other instruments. Rollini is also known for introducing the goofus in jazz music. As ...

in 1938. Lathrop performed with the

in the 1937

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 ...

production, '' Between the Devil.'' They sang the song "Triplets." The production ran from December 22, 1937 to March 12, 1938 (93 performances). During the audition, the

were known as the Savoy Club Boys. Lathrop was a member of the

in 1938 when they recorded the first radio

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 ...

of its kind for

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

– "Pepsi-Cola Hits the Spot" ''(aka'' "Nickel, Nickel"). Lathrop was replaced around 1940 by Gene Lanham ''(né'' Eugene Prentiss Lanham; 1915–1977). The trio also performed in two 1935 films, '' Sweet Surrender'' and ''Melody Magic,'' directed by

Fred Waller Frederic Waller (1886 – May 18, 1954) was an American inventor and film pioneer. Career Waller is most known for his contributions to film special effects while working at Paramount Pictures, for his creation of the Waller Flexible Gunnery Tra ...

. Big bands
Lathrop co-wrote the song "It's Anybody's Moon" with

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

Eddie DeLange Eddie DeLange (''né'' Edgar DeLange Moss; 15 January 1904 – 15 July 1949) was an American bandleader and lyricist. Famous artists who recorded some of DeLange's songs include Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Duk ...

in 1939. Dorsey and His Orchestra, with

Bob Eberly Robert Eberly (born Robert Eberle; July 24, 1916 – November 17, 1981) was an American big band vocalist best known for his association with Jimmy Dorsey and his duets with Helen O'Connell. His younger brother Ray was also a big-band singer, m ...

as vocalist, recorded it February 21, 1939, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

released it as a

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

B side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single (

matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

65052-A; catalog # 2322). Glenn Miller
Lathrop was guitarist and vocalist with

from 1940 to 1942. While a member, Lathrop composed "Helpless", featuring vocals by

Ray Eberle Raymond Eberle (January 19, 1919 – August 25, 1979) was a vocalist during the Big Band Era, making his name with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. His elder brother, Bob Eberly, sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Career Eberle was born in Mech ...

, and "Long Time No See, Baby", featuring vocals by

Marion Hutton Marion Hutton (born Marion Thornburg; March 10, 1919 – January 10, 1987) was an American singer and actress. She is best remembered for her singing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1938 to 1942. She was the sister of actress and singer ...

, which were released as 78 singles on

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

Solo artist

Jack Lathrop With The Drugstore Cowboys
Lathrop's first release with

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 ...

, the 78 single 20-3109,Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone
"The Online Discographical Project – RCA Victor 20-prefix series "
Retrieved July 10, 2011 his first charting hit as a solo artist, was " Hair of Gold" released in 1948. This song was written by Sunny Skylar and first recorded by vocalist Jack Emerson ''(né'' Abraham Jacob Melamerson; 1920–2014) on Metrotone Records, and became the label's best seller.

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who pl ...

's version was the biggest hit, but Lathrop’s version also fared well. It was his highest-charting song, reaching a peak of #19. The

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of this record was " You Call Everybody Darlin", a words and music written by Sam Martin, Ben L. Trace,

Clem Watts Albert J. Trace ''(aka'' Albert Joseph Trace; ''né'' Feinberg; 25 December 1900 – 31 August 1993) was an American songwriter and orchestra leader of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. His popularity peaked in the Chicago area during the height of th ...

''(pseudonym'' of Al Trace), and Albert J. Trace. This song also reached the charts at #27. These sides had been recorded as a response to the

James Petrillo James Caesar Petrillo (March 16, 1892 – October 23, 1984) was the leader of the American Federation of Musicians, a trade union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada. Biography Petrillo was born in Chicago, Illinois, United ...

-led Musician’s Union recording ban of 1948. The instrumentation backing the harmonizing vocalists was limited to harmonicas, jug-blowers, and ukuleles. Despite the limited instrumentation (or perhaps because of it) ''

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 ...

'' reviewed both sides as "excellent." Jack Lathrop and His Orchestra
The second RCA release (catalog 20-3199) was “Dainty Brenda Lee,” which received a rating of "excellent" from ''

''. "Corn Belt Symphony" was placed on the other side of the 78rpm disc. This song was cited as both an "Operators Pick" (peaking at #2) and “Retailers Pick” (peak #6) for several weeks in late 1948 in ''

,'' but despite the reviews and large marketing support from RCA, the disc had limited commercial impact. Eve Young and Jack Lathrop
His next release for RCA was "My Darling, My Darling", a duet with

Eve Young Eva Nadauld (September 1, 1923 – November 3, 2010), known professionally as Eve Young early in her career, and later as Karen Chandler, was an American singer of popular music during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, best known for her 1952 hit, "Hol ...

. The song was from the 1948

musical, ''

Where's Charley? ''Where's Charley?'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by George Abbott. The story was based on the 1892 play ''Charley's Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1948 and was revived on Broadway an ...

.'' Lathrop and Young's version garnered negative reviews from ''

'' and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

,'' but it reached the Juke Box charts at #26. Yet, in 1949, ''Billboard'' ranked it #5 in its "Honor Roll of Hits" for the week ending January 21, 1949. Jack Lathrop with the Drugstore Cowboys and Orchestra
The success of the RCA recordings prompted Jack to hire Frank Hanshaw as a manager, and to go on tour with a trio consisting guitar, accordion, and bass. He recorded two more sides (RCA Victor 20-3327) before touring, "Don't Hang Around" and " One Has My Name," which were reviewed as "good" by ''

.'' Children's series
In addition to the popular material, RCA utilized his talent for a new series of children's records.

Discography

As of 2019, ''

The Jazz Discography ''The Jazz Discography'' is a print, CD-ROM, and online discography and sessionography of all categories of recorded jazz — and directly relevant precursors of recorded jazz from 1896. The publisher, Lord Music Reference Inc., a British Columbia ...

'' (online), a database of jazz sessionography and

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

– which includes transcriptions of radio broadcasts – lists 135 recordings of Lathrop, as guitarist and vocalist with

and

– between April 28, 1940, and July 22, 1942. The database neither includes Lathrop's recordings with the

(in the mid to late 1930s) nor his recordings with the Drugstore Cowboys (late 1940s).

Compositions

* "It's Anybodys Moon" :

(w&m) :

(w&m) : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : 1939 * "Helpless" : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : Mutual Music Society
11 October 1940; EU233962
* "Long Time No See Baby" : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : Sunny Skylar ''(aka'' Sonny Skylar) (w&m) : Mutual Music Society
11 October 1940; EU233963
: * "I Like to Have You Like to Have Me Love You" : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : Mutual Music Society
9 October 1946; EU50685

24 January 1947; EP11657
* "You Are My Love" : Jack Lathrop (words) :

Charlie Ryan Charles Ryan (December 19, 1915 – February 16, 2008) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing and first recording the rockabilly hit single "Hot Rod Lincoln". Biography Ryan grew up in Polson, Montana and moved to Spoka ...

(words) :

Ben Weisman Benjamin Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) was an American composer. He wrote 57 songs recorded by Elvis Presley, more than any other songwriter. Biography Weisman was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Brooklyn, New Yor ...

(music) :

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

31 March 1947; EP15226
* "I Wouldn't Be Surprised" : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : Dale Wood; pseudonym of Bill Hansen (Lawrence William Hansen; ''aka'' William Robert Hansen; 1905–1968) (w&m) : Cecille Music Company
17 March 1948; EU121366
: * "Smile" : Jack Lathrop (w&m) : Dale Wood (pseudonym of Bill Hansen) (w&m) : Cecille Music Company
28 March 1948; EP27851
:

Movie appearance

Lathrop appeared in the 1941 20th Century Fox musical film ''

Sun Valley Serenade ''Sun Valley Serenade'' is a 1941 musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle, and Lynn Bari. It features the Glenn Miller Orchestra as well as dancing by the Nicholas Brothers. ...

'' as a guitarist as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Family

Lathrop's parents, Margaret Lathrop ''(née'' Margaret Lowell; 1893–1958) and John Marcos Lathrop (1891–1974) were married May 28, 1912, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. According to the 1920 US Census, his mother was divorced; and in 1920, he, his sister Kathryn (1914–1962), and his mother lived with his widowed maternal grandmother, Kittie Isabel Lowell ''(née'' Kittie Isabel Purdy; 1863–1938), who owned and ran a private boarding house in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

. Jack Lathrop, on November 10, 1940, married Barbara Jane Mitchell (1919–2000) in

. Barbara's father, Joseph James Mitchell (1873–1940) had died in White Plains months earlier. Jack and Barbara Lathrop had three sons and a daughter.

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lathrop, Jack 1913 births 1987 deaths American bandleaders American jazz composers American jazz guitarists American male guitarists American jazz singers RCA Records artists American male jazz composers Glenn Miller Orchestra members 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists People from Sherburne, New York Singers from New York (state) Jazz musicians from New York (state)