From collection Member List
Frankie Laine’s (Miami-FL) singing/songwriting career spanned seven decades, included over 100 million record sales, 21 gold records, and brought international fame. It began in 1930 when, as a 17-year-old, Laine joined a dance marathon touring company; he not only set a world record of dancing for 3501 hours, but he entertained spectators by singing during breaks. Traveling with the company gave him the opportunity to see musicians such as Paul Whiteman, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong as he developed his own singing style. A late bloomer, Laine’s break came in 1946 when an impromptu appearance at Billy Berg’s jazz club in L.A. led to a contract with the club, and later to a recording contract.
Known for his big baritone voice that could fill an auditorium without a microphone, Laine’s first hit recording was “That’s My Desire,” recorded in 1946. Other songs to reach the charts included “Mule Train,” “Jezebel,” and “That Lucky Old Sun.” His style of pop singing, which combined R&B, jazz, and hints of country, bridged the end of the era of big bands to the beginning of rock and roll. Later, he would be known for singing the theme songs for the movies High Noon, Blazing Saddles, and the TV show Rawhide.
Laine continued to perform into the 2000s. He died in 2007 in San Diego, California at the age of 93.
Known for his big baritone voice that could fill an auditorium without a microphone, Laine’s first hit recording was “That’s My Desire,” recorded in 1946. Other songs to reach the charts included “Mule Train,” “Jezebel,” and “That Lucky Old Sun.” His style of pop singing, which combined R&B, jazz, and hints of country, bridged the end of the era of big bands to the beginning of rock and roll. Later, he would be known for singing the theme songs for the movies High Noon, Blazing Saddles, and the TV show Rawhide.
Laine continued to perform into the 2000s. He died in 2007 in San Diego, California at the age of 93.
