Vaughn Monroe
{{Short description|American singer (1911–1973)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Vaughn Monroe
| image = Vaughn Monroe.jpg
| birth_name = Vaughn Wilton Monroe
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|10|7|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Akron, Ohio, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1973|5|21|1911|10|7|mf=y}}
| death_place = Stuart, Florida, U.S.
| genre = Big band, traditional pop
| years_active = 1939–1965
| website = [http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/ Vaughn Monroe Big Band Era Singer]
}}
Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) 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
Career
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.Living Era CD AJA 5312 ("Vaughn Monroe 'Racing With the Moon'") liner note by Peter Dempsey (2000),
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.{{cite news| title=Camel Summer Sub| url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/42-OCR/1942-06-08-BC-OCR-Page-0022.pdf| access-date=June 30, 2020| magazine=Broadcasting| date=June 8, 1942| page=22}}
Monroe hosted the Camel Caravan radio program from The Meadows, starting in 1946 and, during this time, was featured in a Camel cigarettes commercial.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/tobacco_sle13d00b |title=Camel Cigarette Commercials, 16mm Transfers Reel # 8. [Part 2] : Internet Archive : Commercial starts at 1.48 |date=2001-03-10 |access-date=2014-08-20 |df=mdy-all}} 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.{{cite news |title=Radio Spotlight |newspaper=La Crosse Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3015363/the_la_crosse_tribune/ |date=January 19, 1952 |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=August 14, 2015}}
Monroe was often described as “tall and handsome,” a trait which reportedly boosted his career both in music and Hollywood. His appearance and distinctive baritone voice earned him the nicknames "the Baritone with Muscles", "the Voice with Hair on its Chest", and "Ol' Leather Tonsils".{{cite web| title=Vaughn Monroe: Biography| url=http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/biography.htm| website=Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society Presents| access-date=August 15, 2015}}
Monroe recorded extensively for RCA Victor until 1956, and his signature tune was "Racing With the Moon" (1941).{{cite web|author=Gilliland, John. |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633224/m1/#track/3 |title=Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #12 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library |work=University of North Texas |date=1972 |access-date=2021-02-15 |df=mdy-all}} It sold more than one million copies by 1952, becoming Monroe's first million-seller, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs| edition=2nd| publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location=London| page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/25 25]| isbn=0-214-20512-6| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/25}} 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),{{cite web| last=Gilliland| first=John|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633221/m1/#track/5| title=Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library|website=University of North Texas |date=197X |access-date=2021-02-15 |df=mdy-all}} "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".Wertz, Marjorie (February 9, 2007). [http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/bulletin%20board/bb_goldentouch.htm "Singer Vaughn Monroe's road to stardom went through Jeannette"]. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via Vaughn Monroe Society.
Monroe's orchestra had a number of notable musicians, including Bucky Pizzarelli, who later became famous for his career in jazz guitar. While the orchestra’s focus was largely on romantic ballads, they would also play swung jazz tunes at the end of the night. These performances were not recorded as frequently as their standard music, though they were enjoyed by patrons.
Monroe had some success in acting, and over his career appeared in Meet the People (1944), Carnegie Hall (1947), Singing Guns (1950), and Toughest Man in Arizona (1952). However, acting was not his main focus, so he “did not pursue a movie and television career with vigor.” {{cite web| title=Vaughn Monroe: Biography| url=http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/biography.htm| website=Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society Presents| access-date=August 15, 2015}} Another non-music endeavour in his career was the co-authoring of The Adventures of Mr. Putt Putt (1949), a children's book about airplanes.
File:Vaughn Monroe Susie Scott Dan Blocker Bonanza 1962.JPG
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. 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. Though neither party confirmed or denied this, some have credited Monroe’s work as a talent scout for the discovery and fame of Neil Sedaka.{{cite web| title=Vaughn Monroe| url= https://entertainment.ie/person/vaughn-monroe/| website=Entertainment Ireland| access-date=May 6, 2025}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourjeannette/5660225-74/jeannette-monroe-auditorium#axzz2zL5WCVdq |title=High school auditorium to be named for Jeannette grad, Big Band star Vaughn Monroe |newspaper=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |access-date=2014-08-20 |df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/vaughnmonroe.html |title=Vaughn Monroe "There, I've Said It Again" |website=Big Band Library |access-date=2014-08-20 |df=mdy-all}}
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 and Christina. They remained married until Vaughn's death in 1973.
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.Page, John (June 1986). Model Railroader.
Death
Monroe died on May 21, 1973, at Martin County Memorial Hospital in Florida, shortly after having stomach surgery for a bleeding ulcer.{{cite news |title=Vaughn Monroe Dies |newspaper=The Desert Sun |location=Palm Springs |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19730522.2.14 |agency=United Press International |date=May 22, 1973 |access-date=2010-10-08 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news |title=Vaughn Monroe, 62, Dies; Singer and Bandleader; Headliner of An Era |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0091FF838551A7493C0AB178ED85F478785F9 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 22, 1973 |access-date=2010-10-08 |df=mdy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104014644/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0091FF838551A7493C0AB178ED85F478785F9 |archive-date=2012-11-04 |url-status=dead}}
Monroe Orchestra personnel
{{div col}}
- 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
{{div col end}}
Singles
| class="wikitable" |
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title !| Chart positions |
|---|
| style="width:45px;"|US |
| 1940
| "There I Go" | style="text-align:center;"| 5 |
| rowspan="5"| 1941
| style="text-align:center;"| 18 |
| "High on a Windy Hill"
| style="text-align:center;"| 15 |
| "There'll Be Some Changes Made"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| "G'bye Now"
| style="text-align:center;"| 14 |
| "Yours (Quiereme Mucho)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 18 |
| rowspan="5"| 1942
| "The Shrine of Saint Cecilia" | style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| "Tangerine"
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 |
| "Three Little Sisters"
| style="text-align:center;"| 18 |
| "My Devotion"
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 |
| "When the Lights Go On Again"
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 |
| 1943
| "Let's Get Lost" | style="text-align:center;"| 8 |
| rowspan="3"| 1944
| "The Trolley Song" | style="text-align:center;"| 4 |
| "Take It, Jackson"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| "The Very Thought of You"
| style="text-align:center;"| 14 |
| rowspan="6"| 1945
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 |
| "There! I've Said It Again"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 |
| "Just a Blue Serge Suit"
| style="text-align:center;"| 17 |
| "Something Sentimental"
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 |
| "Fishin' for the Moon"
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 |
| "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 |
| rowspan="5"| 1946
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 |
| "Seems Like Old Times"
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 |
| "Who Told You That Lie?"
| style="text-align:center;"| 15 |
| "It's My Lazy Day"
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 |
| "The Things We Did Last Summer"
| style="text-align:center;"| 13 |
| rowspan="5"| 1947
| "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" | style="text-align:center;"| 2 |
| "Kokomo, Indiana"
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 |
| "You Do"
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 |
| "Ballerina"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 |
| "How Soon? (Will I Be Seeing You)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 |
| rowspan="4"| 1948
| "Cool Water" | style="text-align:center;"| 9 |
| "The Maharajah of Magador"
| style="text-align:center;"| 19 |
| "Ev'rday I Love You (Just a Little Bit More)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 22 |
| "In My Dreams"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| rowspan="6"| 1949
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 |
| "Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend"{{efn|Peaked at No. 2 in Billboard Country singles.}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 |
| "Someday"
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 |
| "That Lucky Old Sun"
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 |
| "Vieni Su (Say You Love Me Too)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 29 |
| "Mule Train"
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 |
| rowspan="2"| 1950
| "Bamboo" | style="text-align:center;"| 4 |
| "Thanks, Mister Florist"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| rowspan="4"| 1951
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 |
| "Sound Off (The Duckworth Chant)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 |
| "Old Soldiers Never Die"
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 |
| "Meanderin'"
| style="text-align:center;"| 28 |
| rowspan="4"| 1952
| "Charmaine" | style="text-align:center;"| 27 |
| "Mountain Laurel"
| style="text-align:center;"| 22 |
| "Lady Love"
| style="text-align:center;"| 18 |
| "Idaho State Fair'"
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| 1954
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 |
| 1955
| "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" | style="text-align:center;"| 38 |
| rowspan="2"| 1956
| style="text-align:center;"| 38 |
| "In the Middle of the House"
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 |
| 1959
| style="text-align:center;"| 87 |
| 1965
| "Queen of the Senior Prom" | style="text-align:center;"| 132 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/ Vaughn Monroe Big Band Era Singer]
- [http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/achievements/achievements_songs.htm Songs Written by Vaughn Monroe] (as listed on the Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society website)
- [http://www.vaughnmonroesociety.org/resume/Omeadows.htm The Meadows]
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1946–1959}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monroe, Vaughn}}
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:20th-century American male singers
Category:20th-century American trumpeters
Category:American jazz bandleaders
Category:American male trumpeters
Category:American big band bandleaders
Category:Bluebird Records artists
Category:Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni
Category:Jubilee Records artists
Category:Musicians from Akron, Ohio
Category:Singers from Pittsburgh
Category:New England Conservatory alumni