Lamarr.de: Details von Carolyn Grey () * 06.05.1922 + 23.01.2002

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Carolyn Grey

Musik

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* 06.05.1922 in Los Angeles, CA Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika

+ 23.01.2002 in Glendale, CA Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika

Todesursache: natural causes

Biografie

Auszeichnungen

Allgemeines

alifornia-native Carolyn Grey had already established herself as a popular radio vocalist on the West Coast before singing with the San Francisco-based territorial orchestra of Gary Nottingham in early 1941. After a brief stint with Carl Ravazza, she caught the attention of Woody Herman, who hired her that August to replace Muriel Lane. Grey quickly became Herman?s featured attraction, appearing on the December 1, 1941, cover of Down Beat magazine with Herman and singer-trumpet player Billie Rogers.[1] Gray remained with the band until suddenly quitting in May 1943, the day of the orchestra?s opening at the Hollywood Palladium, leaving Herman without a female singer for the duration of the engagement.[2]

After leaving Herman, Grey played club dates before settling in with Jack Riley?s band at the Aragon in Los Angeles in mid-1944. She made a soundie that year, ?Pagliacci Swings It,? with Joe Reichman?s orchestra and singer Hal Derwin. On October 1 of that year, she joined [Sonny Dunham](/band/sonny-dunham?s band in St. Louis, touring the country with them and appearing in one musical short. Her popularity soared while with Dunham. She placed third in Down Beat magazine?s 1944 readers? poll for best female band singer. She left the band in January 1945 to return to the West Coast, indicting that she?d either soon sign with another name band or get married.

By mid-1945, Grey was with Shorty Sherock?s orchestra, leaving when they went east to reorganize. She then briefly joined Tommy Dorsey in June while his band was at the Casino Gardens in Los Angeles but quit after less than two weeks, joining Anson Weeks at Big Bear Lake resort. She remained with Weeks until the end of that summer, when she left due to strep throat. In late 1945, she made a soundie under her own name and in November began singing with a combo put together by pianist Johnny D?Varga which served as the intermission band at the Hollywood Palladium.

She was singing with the D?Varga combo in January 1946 when Gene Krupa, whose band was featured at the Palladium that week, borrowed her as a last minute replacement for the suddenly departed Anita O?Day. O?Day had given notice to Krupa that she would leave the band at the end of their Palladium run, but after getting ill she quit early, thirty minutes before they were scheduled for a coast-to-coast radio broadcast. Grey sang with Krupa for a few days before Liz Tilton was hired to replace O?Day. Tilton stayed only briefly, however, and Krupa liked Grey so much that he hired her permanently.[3]

Grey?s popularity surged again while with Krupa. She was named sixth most popular female band vocalist in Billboard?s 1947 disk jockey poll, finishing eighth in Down Beat?s 1947 reader poll. She appeared with the orchestra in several films and shorts. In July 1946, she married Krupa?s road manager, Joe Dale, and later became pregnant, leaving the band in April 1947. The couple had a daughter in August.

Grey retired from touring in February 1948 to settle in Hollywood, hoping for film, television and radio work. In March, she briefly formed part of a package combo with vibist Johnny White?s quartet and singer Butch Stone. The combo spent a month at the Swan club in Hollywood before breaking up. Grey then made appearances on CBS. By October 1949, she was back on the road, performing as part of the bill at the Paramount in New York. In March 1951, she joined Jerry Wald?s orchestra, staying a short while. In 1953, she recorded on the Jig-Saw label and in 1954 on Vito.

Carolyn Grey passed away in 2002 at age 79. Her favorite singer was Billie Holiday and her favorite band was that of Duke Ellington. She was a fan of the blues and loved to cook, especially spaghetti.

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