Trudy Erwin

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name =

| image =

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| birth_name = Virginia Lee Erwin

| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|8|12}}

| birth_place = El Monte, California, USA

| death_date = {{death date and age|2000|10|29|1918|8|12}}

| death_place = San Diego, California , USA

| genre = Pop, Big band, Jazz

| occupation = Singer

| years_active =

| label = Decca, 4 Star

| past_member_of = The Music Maids, Kay Kyser, Bing Crosby

}}

Trudy Erwin (known as Jinny) (born August 12, 1918 – October 29, 2000) was an American singer and actress in films who was a vocalist with the Kay Kyser orchestra in the 1940s.

As a teenager. she had been part of a vocal quintet called the Music Maids. They were used in the Bing Crosby film East Side of Heaven{{cite book |last1=Giddins |first1=Gary |title=Bing Crosby Swinging on a Star The War Years 1940-1946 |date=2018 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0-316-88792-2 |pages=220-222 |edition=First }} to back Crosby on the song "Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb." Subsequently the Music Maids joined the cast of the Kraft Music Hall hosted by Crosby, making their debut on February 23, 1939.{{cite web |title=BING magazine |url=https://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/ |website=BING magazine |publisher=International Club Crosby |access-date=April 15, 2025}} Whilst they remained on the show until 1944, Erwin left the group to join Kay Kyser in October 1941 as a partial replacement for Ginny Simms.{{cite news |title=The Cincinnati Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/762275939/|access-date=April 15, 2025 |date=October 13, 1941}} She had a hit record with Kyser on "Who Wouldn't Love You" when she paired with Harry Babbitt and the song reached the top of the charts in April 1942. She returned to the Kraft show on February 4, 1943 as the resident female singer{{cite news |title=The Fresno Bee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/701472742/|access-date=April 15, 2025 |date=February 4, 1943}} until December 1943 when she left to have a baby. Whilst working with Bing, she recorded several hit songs with him including the 1943 duets "People Will Say We're In Love (#1) and "Oh! What A Beautiful Mornin' (#4).{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, USA|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109 109]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109}}

Erwin married Murdo McKenzie (NBC Engineer) at San Juan Capistrano Mission on February 14, 1942.{{cite news |title=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/683776978/ |access-date=April 15, 2025 |date=February 12, 1942}}