The Starlighters

Last updated
The Starlighters, with Jo Stafford (left) The Starlighters.png
The Starlighters, with Jo Stafford (left)

The Starlighters were an American singing group of the mid 20th century.

The group was formed in 1946, the members being Pauline Byrns, Vince Degen, Tony Paris, Howard Hudson, and future star Andy Williams, all alumni of Six Hits and a Miss. Williams soon left and was replaced by Jerry Duane. [1] Byrns retired from singing in 1947. [2] Imogene Lynn became the Starlighters' female vocalist in 1949. [3]

The group performed mainly as backing vocalists, frequently backing Jo Stafford [1] as well as many other artists on a number of singles. [4] They also performed songs in cartoon and live short films and the feature films Song of Idaho [5] (1948) and (uncredited) in Honeychile [6] (1951) and With a Song in My Heart [7] (1952). The Starlighters appeared on radio on The Chesterfield Supper Club [8] and on television on The Jo Stafford Show . [6]

Related Research Articles

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Stafford</span> American singer (1917–2008)

Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. Her 1952 song "You Belong to Me" topped the charts in the United States and United Kingdom, becoming the second single to top the UK Singles Chart, and the first by a female artist to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pied Pipers</span> American popular singing group (formed in the late 1930s)

The Pied Pipers were an American popular singing group originally formed in the late 1930s. They had several chart hits throughout the 1940s, both under their own name and in association with Tommy Dorsey, with Johnny Mercer and with Frank Sinatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backing vocalist</span> Singer who provides vocal harmony on a song

A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used in a broad range of popular music, traditional music, and world music styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiki Dee</span> English pop singer (born 1947)

Pauline Matthews, better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.

"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952. It is Williams' most recorded song. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous recordings and has since achieved popularity in several different music genres.

"You Belong to Me" is a popular music ballad from the 1950s. It is well known for its opening line, "See the pyramids along the Nile". The song was published in Hollywood on April 21, 1952, and the most popular version was by Jo Stafford, reaching No. 1 on both the UK and US singles charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondie Chaplin</span> South African musician; member of the Beach Boys (born 1951)

Terrence William "Blondie" Chaplin is a South African singer and guitarist from Durban, where he played in the band the Flames in the mid to late 1960s. From 1972 to 1973, he was a member of the Beach Boys and contributed to their albums Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972) and Holland (1973). During his stint with the Beach Boys, he sang the lead on the popular song, "Sail On Sailor". Chaplin was a long-term backing vocalist, percussionist, and acoustic rhythm guitarist for the Rolling Stones on their recordings and tours over a 15-year period, starting in 1997. Chaplin has released two solo albums, Blondie Chaplin (1977) and Between Us (2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Merry Macs</span>

The Merry Macs were an American and British close-harmony pop music quartet who were active from the 1920s until 2000. They were best known for the hits "Mairzy Doats", "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" and "Sentimental Journey". The group also sang on recordings with Bing Crosby.

<i>The Chesterfield Supper Club</i> Radio show

The Chesterfield Supper Club is an NBC Radio musical variety program (1944–1950), which was also telecast by NBC Television (1948–1950).

"September in the Rain" is a popular song about nostalgia by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, published in 1937. The song was introduced by James Melton in the film Melody for Two. It has become a standard, having been recorded by many artists since.

The Mellomen were a popular singing quartet active from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s. The group was founded by Thurl Ravenscroft and Max Smith in 1948. They recorded under a variety of names, including Big John and the Buzzards, the Crackerjacks, the Lee Brothers, and the Ravenscroft Quartet. They were sometimes credited as the Mellowmen, the Mello Men, or the Mellow Men. They sang backup to some of the best-known artists of the day, including Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Arlo Guthrie, Frankie Laine, Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley, and Jo Stafford.

<i>The Jo Stafford Show</i> (1954 TV series) American TV series or program

The Jo Stafford Show is a 15-minute musical variety program which aired on CBS in prime time in the 1954–1955 television season. Paul Weston wrote a special theme song for the show.

Pauline Byrns was an American singer who recorded successfully in the swing era of the late 1930s and 1940s, notably with Artie Shaw and the vocal groups Six Hits and a Miss and The Starlighters. She was often credited as Pauline Byrne or Pauline Byrnes. Singer Mel Tormé said of her: "Oh, what a singer.... I admired her so much".

Six Hits and a Miss was an American swing-era singing group. The group consisted of six male singers and one female. They performed musical numbers in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, such as Time Out for Rhythm, The Big Store, Hit Parade of 1941, and Girl Crazy.

<i>Deaths Dateless Night</i> 2016 studio album by Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen

Death's Dateless Night is the 22nd studio album by Paul Kelly and is a collaboration with fellow Australian musician, Charlie Owen, which was issued via Gawd Aggie/Universal Music Australia on 7 October 2016. It was co-produced by Kelly, Owen and J. Walker, which peaked at No. 16 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was nominated for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2017.

<i>Song of Idaho</i> 1948 film by Ray Nazarro

Song of Idaho is a 1948 American Western musical film directed by Ray Nazarro. It was released by Columbia Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imogene Lynn</span> American jazz and pop singer (1922–2003)

Imogene Lynn was a 20th-century American jazz and pop singer.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pretty Boy". Rapture Records. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  2. "Pauline Byrns Hudson; Retired Singer (obituary)". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 1990. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  3. Aubrey Poole (June 11, 2003). "Imogene Lynn". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  4. The Starlighters discography at Discogs
  5. "Song Of Idaho". TV Guide. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. 1 2 The Starlighters at IMDb
  7. "With A Song In My Heart (1952)". TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  8. "The Starlighters (trade advertisement)". Billboard. January 24, 1948. p. 90. Retrieved January 11, 2017.