Vaughn Monroe

Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter, big band leader, actor, and businessman, 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.

Vaughn Monroe
Background information
Birth nameVaughn Wilton Monroe
Born(1911-10-07)October 7, 1911
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMay 21, 1973(1973-05-21) (aged 61)
Stuart, Florida, U.S.
GenresBig band, traditional Pop
Years active1939–1965
LabelsRCA Victor, Dot Records
WebsiteVaughn Monroe Big Band Era Singer

Early life

Monroe was born in Akron, Ohio, United States, on October 7, 1911.[1] He was graduated from Jeannette High School in Pennsylvania in 1929,[2] where he was senior class president and voted "Most Likely to Succeed". After graduation, he attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he was an active member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. Monroe attended New England Conservatory for one semester in 1935, studying voice with Clarence B. Shirley.

Career

Monroe formed his first orchestra in Boston in 1940 and became its principal vocalist. He began recording for RCA Victor's subsidiary Bluebird label. 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.[3]

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.[4]

Monroe hosted the Camel Caravan radio program from The Meadows, starting in 1946 and, during this time, was featured in a Camel cigarettes commercial.[5] 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.[6]

The Meadows burned to the ground in December 1980 after sitting shuttered and vacant for a number of years.

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", "Ol' Leather Tonsils",[7] or "Leather Lungs".

Monroe recorded extensively for RCA Victor until 1956, and his signature tune was "Racing With the Moon" (1941). It sold more than one million copies by 1952, becoming Monroe's first million-seller, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[8] 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), "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".[2]

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.

Movies also beckoned, although he did not pursue it with vigor. Monroe 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.[2] He was a major stockholder in RCA and appeared in print ads and television commercials for the company's television and audio products.

After leaving the performing end of show business, he 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. 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.[9][10]

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Vaughn Monroe among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[11]

Personal life

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 (born 1941) and Christina (born 1944). They remained married until Vaughn's death in 1973.[9][10]

Monroe was a licensed pilot and often flew his own Lockheed 12A airplane to tour dates.

Death

Monroe died on May 21, 1973 at Martin County Memorial Hospital in Florida, shortly after having stomach surgery for a bleeding ulcer.[1][2][12] He was buried in Fernhill Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum in Stuart, Florida.

Monroe Orchestra personnel
  • 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)
  • Bobby Rickey, Drums

Singles
Year Title Chart positions
US
1940 "There I Go" 5
1941 "So You're the One" 18
"High on a Windy

Hill"

 15
"There'll Be Some Changes Made" 20
"G'bye Now" 14
"Yours (Quiereme Mucho)" 18
1942 "The Shrine of Saint Cecilia" 20
"Tangerine" 16
"Three Little Sisters" 18
"My Devotion" 5
"When the Lights Go On Again" 2
1943 "Let's Get Lost" 8
1944 "The Trolley Song" 4
"Take It, Jackson" 20
"The Very Thought of You" 14
1945 "Rum and Coca-Cola" 8
"There! I've Said It Again" 1
"Just a Blue Serge Suit" 17
"Something Sentimental" 12
"Fishin' for the Moon" 11
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" 1
1946 "Are These Really Mine?" 12
"Seems Like Old Times" 7
"Who Told You That Lie?" 15
"It's My Lazy Day" 16
"The Things We Did Last Summer" 13
1947 "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" 2
"Kokomo, Indiana" 10
"You Do" 5
"Ballerina" 1
"How Soon? (Will I Be Seeing You)" 3
1948 "Cool Water" 9
"The Maharajah of Magador" 19
"Ev'rday I Love You (Just a Little Bit More)" 22
"In My Dreams" 20
1949 "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" 3
"Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend"[lower-alpha 1] 1
"Someday" 1
"That Lucky Old Sun" 6
"Vieni Su (Say You Love Me Too)" 29
"Mule Train" 10
1950 "Bamboo" 4
"Thanks, Mister Florist" 20
1951 "On Top of Old Smoky" 8
"Sound Off (The Duckworth Chant)" 3
"Old Soldiers Never Die" 7
"Meanderin'" 28
1952 "Charmaine" 27
"Mountain Laurel" 22
"Lady Love" 18
"Idaho State Fair'" 20
1954 "They Were Doin' the Mambo" 7
1955 "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" 38
1956 "Don't Go to Strangers" 38
"In the Middle of the House" 11
1959 "The Battle of New Orleans" 87
1965 "Queen of the Senior Prom" 132
  1. Peaked at #2 in Billboard Country singles.
gollark: They just PRINT money and give it to random people!
gollark: Anyway, if you make it so you can, in theory, read books or something to get jobs instead of college, demand for that will go down and prices will be saner.
gollark: HERESY!
gollark: Yes, me too, that's why I suggested it!
gollark: I have another one: what if we make it illegal to ask anyone if they have a college/university degree, or to tell anyone if you have one?

References
  1. "Vaughn Monroe Dies At 62". United Press International. May 22, 1973. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  2. Wertz, Marjorie "Singer Vaughn Monroe's road to stardom went through Jeannette" Feb. 9, 2007 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  3. Living Era CD AJA 5312 ("Vaughn Monroe 'Racing With the Moon'") liner note by Peter Dempsey (2000)
  4. "Camel Summer Sub" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 8, 1942. p. 22. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  5. "Camel Cigarette Commercials, 16mm Transfers Reel # 8. [Part 2] : Internet Archive : Commercial starts at 1.48". Archive.org. 2001-03-10. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  6. "Radio Spotlight". The La Crosse Tribune. January 19, 1952. p. 7. Retrieved August 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Vaughn Monroe: Biography". Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society Presents. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  8. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  9. "High school auditorium to be named for Jeannette grad, Big Band star Vaughn Monroe". TribLIVE. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  10. "Vaughn Monroe "There, I've Said It Again"". Big Band Library. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  11. Rosen, Jody (25 June 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  12. "Vaughn Monroe, 62, Dies; Singer and Bandleader; Headliner of An Era". New York Times. May 22, 1973. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
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