Kay Kyser | |
|---|---|
 Kyser in 1944 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Kern Kyser |
| Born | June 18, 1905 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1985 (aged 80) [1] Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Big band, swing, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, bandleader |
| Years active | 1926–1950 |
| Spouse | Georgia Carroll |
James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.
Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily Royster Kyser (née Howell) and Paul Bynum Kyser. [2] [3] He was one of six children, and his mother was the first registered female pharmacist in the state. [4] Journalist and newspaper editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin. [5] Kyser graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928, where he was senior class president and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. [2] [3]
Owing to his popularity and enthusiasm as a cheerleader, he was invited by Hal Kemp to take over as bandleader when Kemp ventured north to further his career. He began taking clarinet lessons but was better as an entertaining announcer than a musician. He adopted the initial of his middle name as part of his stage name, for its alliterative effect. [4]
Long before his national success, Kyser recorded two sessions for Victor in the late 1920s (Camden, New Jersey in November 1928 and Chicago in early 1929). These were issued on Victor's V-40000 series devoted to country music and regional dance bands. Following graduation, Kyser and his band, which included Sully Mason on saxophone and arranger George Duning, [4] toured Midwest restaurants and night clubs and gradually built a following.
They were popular at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant, where Kyser came up with an act combining a quiz with music which became "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge." [6] The act was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1938 and then moved to NBC Radio from 1939 to 1949. The show rose in the ratings and spawned many imitators. Kyser led the band as "The Ol' Perfessor", spouting catchphrases, some with a degree of Southern American English: "That's right—you're wrong", "Evenin' folks, how y'all?" and "C'mon, chillun! Le's dance!"
Although Kyser and his orchestra gained fame through the "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," [7] they were a successful band in their own right. They had 11 number one records, including some of the most popular songs of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Unlike most other big bands of the era, which centered on only the bandleader, individual members of Kyser's band became stars in their own right and would often receive the spotlight. Some of the more popular members included vocalist Harry Babbitt, cornetist Merwyn Bogue (a.k.a. Ish Kabibble), trombonist Bruce King, saxophonist Jack Martin (who sang lead vocal on the number one hit, "Strip Polka"), Ginny Simms (who had her own successful acting and singing career after leaving Kyser's band), Sully Mason, Mike Douglas (years before he became a popular TV talk show host) and Georgia Carroll.
Carroll, a blonde fashion model and actress whose best-known role was Betsy Ross in Yankee Doodle Dandy , was dubbed "Gorgeous Georgia Carroll" when she joined the group in 1943. Within a year, she and Kyser married.
Kyser was also known for singing song titles, a device copied by Sammy Kaye and Blue Barron. When the song began, one of the band's lead singers (usually Babbitt) sang the title phrase, and then the first verse or two of the song was performed instrumentally before the lyrics resumed. Several of his recordings spawned catch phrases, such as "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition".
His group had a major hit with the novelty tune, "Three Little Fishes". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. [8]
During the Swing Era, Kyser, Hal Kemp and Tal Henry often performed in or near New York City, making possible a reunion of North Carolina musicians. Later, after retirement, Kyser and Henry got together to share music world memories.[ citation needed ]
Inspired by Rosalind P. Walter, Kyser helped popularize the song "Rosie the Riveter". [9]
During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Kyser's band appeared in several motion pictures, usually as themselves, beginning with the successful That's Right – You're Wrong (1939), You'll Find Out (1940), Playmates and My Favorite Spy . Some of the films built a plot around the band. Around the World (1943) fictionalized the band's international tours of military camps.
In Carolina Blues (1944), Kyser has to replace his lead singer (Carroll) who has run off to get married. Caught in a jam, he reluctantly hires the daughter of a powerful defense plant owner, played by Ann Miller. Two of the band's best-known performance appearances were in 1943 when they appeared in the wartime films Stage Door Canteen and Thousands Cheer . Kyser appeared as a light comedian; he acted with (and was billed above) John Barrymore in Barrymore's final film Playmates (1941). Kyser is the dupe in a scam where Barrymore pretends to teach him how to act in Shakespearean drama. [10]
Kyser also appeared in a Porky Pig cartoon, Africa Squeaks (1940). In the cartoon, he voiced a caricature of himself called "Cake-Icer," at the request of director Bob Clampett. [11] A caricature (unnamed) of Kyser as the "Lil Perfessor" was seen in the Warner Brothers cartoon Malibu Beach Party.
After the war, Kyser's band continued to record hit records, including two featuring Jane Russell as vocalist. It's All Up to You features vocals by Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore, although Kyser's participation in this recording is disputed, record label showing Axel Stordahl as conductor. Kyser had intended to retire following the end of the war, but performance and recording contracts kept him in show business for another half decade. [12]
During this time, Kyser made a cameo appearance in a Batman comic book. Kyser was first to introduce the new sonic audio process called the 'sonovox', a singing electronic voice triggered by music. The Sonovox would be used by Jingle Companies such as PAMS and JAM Creative Productions, and said jingles would be used in heavy rotation by rock radio stations such as WABC, WMEX, WXYZ, KONO, WKDA, and WHTZ.[ citation needed ]
In 1949 and 1950, "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge" aired on NBC-TV. In addition to Kyser, the TV show featured Ish Kabibble and vocalists Mike Douglas, Sue Bennett and Liza Palmer, plus The Honeydreamers vocal group and the dance team of Diane Sinclair and Ken Spaulding. Ben Grauer was the announcer during the first season. Always the businessman, Kyser reunited his band especially for this series and just as quickly disbanded it when the show ended. After a four-year hiatus, the "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" was revived by Tennessee Ernie Ford, prior to the launching of his own NBC program, The Ford Show , which ran from 1956 to 1961.
Kyser and Ginny Simms co-starred in "Niagara to Reno" (described as "an original comedy") on CBS radio's Silver Theater April 6, 1941. [13]
After retiring from music, Kyser became involved with his church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist. When he was a child, his mother turned to a Christian Science practitioner for healing while apparently on her deathbed. [14] In 1932, Kay recalled her recovery and turned to a practitioner himself while feeling the need for spiritual guidance; the practitioner encouraged him to continue with music, so he could use his talents to help people relieve tension in their lives. Kyser recalled: "I felt so healed that I quit worrying about it and for the next 18 years I couldn’t think of anything except how to make better records and how to make the music more danceable. ... Underlying that was the unquenchable desire to serve mankind’s needs." [14] In the 1940s, he began to experience his own health problems, which at times confined him to a wheelchair, and he turned to the religion in earnest; becoming a practitioner himself in 1961, a teacher of Christian Science a few years afterwards, and in 1974 working at the church's headquarters in Boston directing its radio and television broadcasting. [15] [14] In the late 70s and early 80s he traveled around as a Christian Science lecturer, and in 1983, he became the church's president, a one-year position which he referred to as "honorary", joking that he hadn't "been elected Pope or anything". [12]
Kyser supported various philanthropic causes after his retirement from music including health care, educational television, and highway safety. [16] Kyser supported the construction of a wing in St. John's hospital in Santa Monica, and there is a portrait of him at the entrance of its medical library. [12] He also helped raise $62 million to build more hospitals and train nurses in his home state of North Carolina, lobbied the state legislature, and had his entertainment friends including Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore do a commercial in support of expanding healthcare in the state. [16] Kyser also supported his old school, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, especially the arts, through the Kyser Foundation which gave scholarships to UNC music and drama students; and supported the university's theatre, pharmacy school, and its Center for Public Television. He also gave to the North Carolina Symphony Society, the first state symphony orchestra in the country. [17]
In 1962, several members of the Kay Kyser team (including Babbit, Kabibble, and Simms but not Kyser himself) reunited at Capitol Records to record an album of new versions of Kyser's greatest hits. Comedian Stan Freberg, one of Capitol's regular artists, did an impression of Kay's original song introductions. [18]
Kyser and Georgia Carroll remained married until his death. They moved back to Kyser's home state of North Carolina where they lived in his uncle's old house, the oldest house in Chapel Hill, and raised their three daughters – Amanda, Carroll, and Kimberly, who all graduated from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [17]
Kyser died of a heart attack in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 23, 1985. He was buried at Old Chapel Hill Cemetery in Chapel Hill. [19]
Kyser was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. [20]
Kyser was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999. [21]
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is custodian of a large archive of documents and material about Kyser which was donated by his widow and made available to the public on April 8, 2008. [22]
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange and Durham Counties North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-most populous municipality in the state. Chapel Hill and Durham make up the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 608,879 in 2023. When it is combined with Raleigh, the state capital, they make up the corners of the Research Triangle, which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023.
Harry Babbitt was an American singer and star during the Big Band era.
Old Chapel Hill Cemetery is a graveyard and national historic district located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Ish Kabibble was an American comedian and cornet player.
Georgia Carroll was an American singer, fashion model, and actress, best known for her work with Kay Kyser's big band orchestra in the mid-1940s. She and Kyser were married in 1944 until he died in 1985.
George Duning was an American musician and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana, and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where his mentor was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
"Two Sleepy People" is a song written on September 10, 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Frank Loesser.
Virginia Ellen Simms was an American popular singer and film actress.
That's Right – You're Wrong is a 1939 American musical film directed by David Butler and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film stars Kay Kyser and his band, with a cast that included Adolphe Menjou, Lucille Ball, Edward Everett Horton, Roscoe Karns, and Ginny Simms. It was the first film to feature Kyser and his band, and its success led to their headlining several more pictures over the next five years. The title was a Kyser catchphrase, used on his radio show when a contestant correctly gave a wrong answer to a "right or wrong" question.
You'll Find Out is a 1940 American comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Kay Kyser. In 1940, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 13th Academy Awards. In the film, members of an orchestra hired to play at a young heiress's birthday party uncover a plot against her. The film was very popular and made a profit of $167,000.
Beat the Band is a musical quiz show heard on NBC radio from 1940 to 1944 in two distinctly different series. The program popularized the show business catch phrase, "Give me a little traveling music", often uttered on TV a decade later by Jackie Gleason.
Playmates is a 1941 American comedy film directed by David Butler and written by James V. Kern. The film stars Kay Kyser, John Barrymore, Lupe Vélez, Ginny Simms, May Robson and Patsy Kelly. It was released on December 26, 1941 by RKO Radio Pictures.
Around the World is a 1943 American musical comedy film produced and directed by Allan Dwan from an original screenplay by Ralph Spence. RKO Radio Pictures premiered the film at the Globe Theater in New York on November 24, 1943. The film has a large cast, and stars Kay Kyser and his band, Mischa Auer, Joan Davis, Marcy McGuire, Wally Brown, and Alan Carney. The picture follows Kyser and his troupe on a tour of U.S. military bases around the world. The film is full of one-liners, sight-gags, double-talk, running gags, and the kind of antic humor that made Kyser's band—actually a large, versatile orchestra—famous.
"The Umbrella Man" is a British song written by James Cavanaugh, Larry Stock and Vincent Rose. It was first published in 1924 and first performed live by the comedy double act Flanagan and Allen in 1939 in the musical revue These Foolish Things. It became one of their standards along with “Hometown” and “Underneath the Arches”. It is used in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986) and the TV adaptation of John le Carré's A Perfect Spy (1987).
The Ginny Simms Show is an umbrella title that can refer to any of several radio musical variety shows in the United States. The versions were broadcast on CBS and NBC beginning September 19, 1941, and ending March 18, 1951.
"Ole Buttermilk Sky" was a big hit in 1946 for big band leader and old-time radio personality Kay Kyser (1905–1985), and composer country western music singer Hoagy Carmichael (1899–1981), plus other artists. It has been covered by a multitude of artists / singers over the years and decades since. The following year of 1947, it was nominated for an "Oscar" as the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 19th Academy Awards ceremony in March 1947 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge is an American old-time radio musical quiz program starring Kay Kyser. It was broadcast on Mutual, NBC, and ABC beginning on February 1, 1938, and ending on July 29, 1949.
Carolina Blues is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and written by Joseph Hoffman, Al Martin and Jack Henley. The film stars Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman, Georgia Carroll, M.A. Bogue, Harry Babbitt and Sully Mason. The film was released on December 20, 1944, by Columbia Pictures.
Kay Kyser's Greatest Hits is a 1962 compilation album featuring music made famous by American bandleader Kay Kyser released by Capitol Records. While Kyser himself was not present at the recording session, former members of his orchestra Harry Babbitt, Mike Douglas, Trudy Erwin, Ish Kabibble, Jack Martin, Sully Mason, Ginny Simms, and Gloria Wood reunited to make re-recordings of their original Columbia Records hits.
"With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair" is a song composed by Clara Edwards, with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. First published in 1930, it became a hit a decade later.
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