Sue Raney
Raelene Claire Claussen, known professionally as Sue Raney (born June 18, 1940 in McPherson, Kansas[1]) is an American jazz singer. Signed by Capitol Records at the age of 17, her debut album When Your Lover Has Gone was produced by Nelson Riddle and released in 1958.[2]
Biography
Raney began singing at only four years of age, and encouraged by her mother, began working as a professional before she was a teenager. When she was nearly 14, she joined Jack Carson's radio show in Los Angeles in 1954 and later worked on television as the singer in Ray Anthony's band.[3] Her single "Biology" was the first Capitol single to be elevated to national promotion after Capitol introduced regional pre-testing in 1960.[4] She was featured with the Stan Kenton orchestra in 1962 on the hourlong television special Music of 1960's.
She sang the theme song to the Audrey Hepburn movie Wait Until Dark (1967). She voiced Patti Bear in The Great Bear Scare (1983), an animated Halloween sequel to The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. Her single "Early Morning Blues and Greens" was played on easy-listening stations, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard magazine MOR chart. She sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Dodger Stadium before the sixth game of the 1978 World Series.
Raney is married to Carmen Fanzone, a trumpeter and former major league baseball player.
Discography
- When Your Lover Has Gone (Capitol, 1958)
- Songs for a Raney Day (Capitol, 1960)
- Happiness Is a Warm Sue Raney (Philips, 1964)
- All by Myself (Capitol, 1964)
- Alive and in Love (Imperial, 1966)
- New and Now! (Imperial, 1967)
- With a Little Help from My Friends (Imperial, 1968)
- Sue Raney's People Tree (Light, 1972)
- Sings the Music of Johnny Mandel with Bob Florence (Discovery, 1983)
- Ridin' High with Bob Florence (Discovery, 1984)
- Flight of Fancy: A Journey of Alan & Marilyn Bergman with Bob Florence (Discovery, 1986)
- Quietly There with Bob Florence (Discovery, 1987)
- In Good Company (Discovery, 1992)
- Dreamsville (Discovery, 1993)
- Autumn in the Air (Fresh Sound, 2004)
- Heart's Desire: A Tribute to Doris Day (Fresh Sound, 2007)
- Listen Here (Rhombus, 2012)
- Late in Life (Fresh Sound, 2015)
- Christmas Lady (Fresh Sound, 2016)
References
- "UA Studio Jazz Ensemble With the Arizona Symphony Orchestra". University of Arizona College of Fine Arts. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
- Levinson, Peter J. September in the Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle. Page 185. Watson-Guptill, 2001.
- Allmusic Biography
- Billboard - 6 June 1960 - Page 18 "Single had passed the test in the Southeastern region, covering the Miami, Atlanta, Memphis and New Orleans markets. First single to jump from its regional testing grounds to national distribution was Sue Raney's 'Biology.' "