American singer (1911?1973)
Musical artist
Vaughn Wilton Monroe
(October 7, 1911 ? May 21, 1973)
[1]
was an American
baritone singer
,
trumpeter
and
big band
leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
, one for recording and another for radio performance.
Early life
[
edit
]
Monroe was born in
Akron, Ohio
.
[2]
He graduated from
Jeannette
High School in
Pennsylvania
in 1929.
[3]
Career
[
edit
]
Monroe formed his first orchestra in
Boston
in 1940 and became its principal vocalist. He began recording for
RCA Victor
's subsidiary label,
Bluebird
. That same year, Monroe built
The Meadows
, a restaurant and nightclub to the west of
Boston
on
Massachusetts Route 9
in
Framingham, Massachusetts
. After he ceased performing, he continued running the club until his death in 1973.
[4]
The summer of 1942 brought a 13-week engagement on radio, as Monroe and his orchestra had a summer replacement program for
Blondie
on
CBS
.
[5]
Monroe hosted the
Camel Caravan
radio program from The Meadows, starting in 1946 and, during this time, was featured in a
Camel cigarettes commercial
.
[6]
In 1952, Monroe and his orchestra had a weekly program on Saturday nights on
NBC
radio. Those programs originated on location from wherever the band happened to be touring. Each program featured a focus on a college in the United States.
[7]
Monroe was tall and handsome, which helped him as a band leader and singer, as well as in
Hollywood
. He was sometimes called "the Baritone with Muscles", "the Voice with Hair on its Chest", and "Ol' Leather Tonsils".
[8]
Monroe recorded extensively for RCA Victor until 1956, and his signature tune was "Racing With the Moon" (1941).
[9]
It sold more than one million copies by 1952, becoming Monroe's first million-seller, and was awarded a
gold disc
by the
RIAA
.
[10]
Among his other hits were "
In the Still of the Night
" (1939), "
There I Go
" (1941), "
There I've Said It Again
" (1945), "
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
" (1946), "
Ballerina
" (1947), "
Melody Time
" (1948), "
Riders in the Sky
" (1949),
[11]
"
Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)
" (1949), "
Sound Off
" (1951), and "
In the Middle of the House
" (1956). He also turned down the chance to record "
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
".
[3]
Monroe's orchestra had a number of excellent musicians including future jazz guitar great
Bucky Pizzarelli
. While their musical focus was largely romantic ballads, in person, the band had a fiercely swinging side only occasionally captured on record. In ballrooms, Monroe often reserved the final set of the evening for unrestrained, swinging music.
Hollywood also beckoned, although Monroe did not pursue acting with much vigor. He appeared in
Meet the People
(1944),
Carnegie Hall
(1947),
Singing Guns
(1950), and
Toughest Man in Arizona
(1952). He co-authored
The Adventures of Mr. Putt Putt
(1949), a children's book about airplanes and flying, a personal interest of his.
Monroe as a guest star in a 1962
Bonanza
episode
He hosted
The Vaughn Monroe Show
on
CBS Television
(1950?51, 1954?55) and appeared on
Bonanza
,
The Mike Douglas Show
,
The Ed Sullivan Show
,
Texaco Star Theatre
,
The Jackie Gleason Show
,
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
, and
American Bandstand
.
[3]
Monroe was a major RCA stockholder and appeared in print ads and television commercials for the company's television and audio products.
After leaving the performing end of show business, Monroe remained with RCA for many years as a television spokesperson, executive, and talent scout. In the latter capacity, he helped give
Neil Sedaka
, among others, his first major exposure.
[
citation needed
]
He was awarded two stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
, one for recording at 1600 Vine Street and one for radio at 1755 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.
[12]
[13]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Monroe married Marian Baughman on April 2, 1940, in
Jeannette, Pennsylvania
, where they had met as high school students. They did not date during high school, but became romantically inclined toward each other when their paths crossed again in
New York City
, years after graduation. They returned to Jeannette for their wedding. They had two children, Candace and Christina. They remained married until Vaughn's death in 1973.
[12]
[13]
An avid railroad enthusiast, Monroe collected and built HO
scale model
trains. On concert tours he had an elaborate and compact workshop that folded neatly into a valise. Inside were hundreds of intricate tools to build operating miniature locomotives, passenger and freight cars.
[14]
Death
[
edit
]
Monroe died on May 21, 1973, at Martin County Memorial Hospital in Florida, shortly after having stomach surgery for a bleeding ulcer.
[2]
[3]
[1]
Monroe Orchestra personnel
[
edit
]
- Moonmaids
, a female vocal quartet (1946 to 1952)
- Frank L. Ryerson
, arranger & trumpeter (1944)
- Ziggy Talent
- George Robinson, Trombone (1944?1945)
- Andrew (Andy) Bagni, Lead Saxophone (1939?1958)
- Bucky Pizzarelli
, Guitar
- Joe Connie, Lead Trombone
- Johnny Watson, Arranger, Baritone Saxophone
- Wedo Marasco, Alto Saxophone
- Red Nichols
, Jazz Trumpet
- Mike Shelby, Piano
- Maree Lee, Vocalist (Moonmaids)
- Tinker Cunningham, Vocalist (Moonmaids)
- Babe Feldman, Tenor Saxophone
- Jack Fay, String Bass
- Gerry Bruno, String Bass
- Mary Jo Grogan, (Moonmaids)
- Art Dedrick, Trombone, Arranger
- Ray Conniff
, Trombone
- Eddie Julian, Drums
- Benny West, Trumpet
- June Hiett, Moonmaids
- Arnold Ross, Piano
- Don Costa
, Arranger
- Marilyn Duke
, vocalist
- Betty Norton, Moonmaids
- Arlene Truax, Moonmaids
- Katie Myatt, Moonmaids
- Jerry Bruno, bassist
- Dino DiGiano, Trumpet (1941-1945)
- Bobby Rickey, Drums
Singles
[
edit
]
- ^
Peaked at No. 2 in Billboard Country singles.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Vaughn Monroe, 62, Dies; Singer and Bandleader; Headliner of An Era"
.
The New York Times
. May 22, 1973. Archived from
the original
on November 4, 2012
. Retrieved
October 8,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
"Vaughn Monroe Dies At 62"
.
United Press International
. May 22, 1973
. Retrieved
October 8,
2010
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Wertz, Marjorie
"Singer Vaughn Monroe's road to stardom went through Jeannette"
February 9, 2007
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
via Vaughn Monroe Society.
- ^
Living Era CD AJA 5312 ("Vaughn Monroe 'Racing With the Moon'") liner note by Peter Dempsey (2000)
- ^
"Camel Summer Sub"
(PDF)
. Broadcasting. June 8, 1942. p. 22
. Retrieved
June 30,
2020
.
- ^
"Camel Cigarette Commercials, 16mm Transfers Reel # 8. [Part 2] : Internet Archive : Commercial starts at 1.48"
. March 10, 2001
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
"Radio Spotlight"
.
The la Crosse Tribune
. The La Crosse Tribune. January 19, 1952. p. 7
. Retrieved
August 14,
2015
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Vaughn Monroe: Biography"
.
Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society Presents
. Retrieved
August 15,
2015
.
- ^
Gilliland, John. (1972).
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #12 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library"
.
University of North Texas
. Retrieved
February 15,
2021
.
- ^
Murrells, Joseph (1978).
The Book of Golden Discs
(2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.
25
.
ISBN
0-214-20512-6
.
- ^
Gilliland, John. (197X).
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library"
.
University of North Texas
. Retrieved
February 15,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"High school auditorium to be named for Jeannette grad, Big Band star Vaughn Monroe"
. TribLIVE
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"Vaughn Monroe "There, I've Said It Again"
"
. Big Band Library
. Retrieved
August 20,
2014
.
- ^
Model Railroader Magazine; June 1986; John Page author
External links
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]
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