Rudy Vallee

Hyacinth's Cemetery, Westbrook, Maine. She died in 1990. Rudy Vallee died on July 3, 1986 and was interred in St. Vaughan continued recording on a variety of labels in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and early 80s. He toured with a one-man theater show into the 1980s. She continued playing with some of the biggest names in the business, including Miles Davis and Jimmy Jones. He appeared in the 1960s Batman television show as the character "Lord Marmaduke Fogg". "Tenderly" and "It's Magic" became popular during the late 1940s, and she continued to build on her fanbase in the early 1950s with songs like "Sassy".

(In his later years he told a collector of his early records that "Everything I did before 1950 you can shit on.") He performed on Broadway in the show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and appeared in the film of the same name. Eckstine and Vaughan, along with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker stayed together for a time, though she went solo in 1945. In middle age Vallee's voice matured into a robust baritone. She began performing with Earl Hines in the early 1940s, but soon broke away with Billy Eckstine. One of his best acting roles is in the 1942 screwball comedy film "The Palm Beach Story". Sarah Vaughan (March 27, 1924 - April 3, 1990) is considered by some to be one of the greatest female jazz singers in the history of the genre, along with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Vallee acted in a number of Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s. Download sample of "What a Difference a Day Made".

That same year Vallee also wrote the introduction for Armstrong's book "Swing That Music". When Vallee took his contractual vacations from his national radio show in 1936, he insisted his sponsor hire Louis Armstrong as his substitute (this was the first instance of an African-American fronting a national radio program). Also in 1929 Vallee started hosting The Fleishchman’s Yeast Musical Variety Hour; he would continue hosting popular radio variety shows through the 1940s. His first films were made to cash in on his singing popularity, but Hollywood was pleasantly surprised to find that Vallee could act as well.

In 1929 Vallee did his first film "Vagabond Lover". His live appearances were usually sold out, and even if his singing could hardly be heard in those venues not yet equipt with the new electronic microphones, his screaming female fans went home happy if they had caught sight of his lips through the opening of the trademark megaphone he sang through. Flappers mobbed him wherever he went. Vallee became also perhaps the first complete example of the 20th century mass media pop-star.

Crooners had soft voices that were well suited to the intimacy of the new medium of radio. Vallee became the most prominent of a new style of popular singer, the "crooner". Previously popular singers needed strong projecting voices to fill theaters in the days before the electric microphone. Vallee was given a recording contract, and in 1928 started performing on the radio. However his singing, together with his suave manner and handsome good looks attracted great attention, especially from young women.

He had a rather thin tenor voice and seemed more at home singing sweet ballads than attempting vocals on jazz numbers. He then returned to the States to form his own band, Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees. With this band he started taking vocals (supposedly reluctantly at first). Vallee played clarinet and saxophone in various bands around New England in his youth, in the mid 1920s played with the Savoy Havana Band in London. In high school he took up the saxophone and acquired the nickname "Rudy" after then famous saxophonist Rudy Weidoeft.

Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, he grew up in Westbrook, Maine. Rudy Vallee (July 28, 1901 - July 3, 1986) was a popular United States singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.