Well, time marches on-it has been said. The loss of both Fran Warren and Patty Andrews proves that to be true. Not too long ago I would be sitting and talking with these two icons more than a number of times over the years. Fran and I snacked on some fast food backstage in the Glen Cove Theater on Long Island one evening before she hit the stage singing one of her favorites-"Mame." Of course, Fran is most famous for her rendition of "A Sunday Kind of Love" recorded originally with the Claude Thornhill orchestra a long time ago. She performed on Broadway in Mame, Pajama Game and Frank Loesser's Broadway masterpiece Guys and Dolls, as well as many other gigs, as they say in the trade. Fran and I were both members of the Society of Singers, an organization of other singers who helped down and out singers. That's where we first met. Fran was also a member of the Friars Club. This Bronx, New York girl, Fran Warren, was a very peppy singer and she loved the music business. She was 87.
Patty Andrews and I were another story. This terrific singer, the lead singer of the iconic Andrews Sisters, was indeed a great friend. After our intitial meeting back in the early eighties, Patty asked me to write up her promotionals when she became a single and was working gigs in California with the Tex Beneke Orchestra and other bands. I also worked with her when she signed with Storyville Records, a European studio, collecting and issuing only her singles. When fellow singer Rosemary Clooney passed away, Patty wrote me in despair, fearful of her own mortality, to which I replied: " You will outlast them all," Sez I, and she did. Patty was to be 95 just before she passed on. My pals Lee Hale and Van Alexander kept an eye on her and after their traditional lunch get togethers, would stop at Patty's place in Northridge, California to check up on her. The Andrews Sisters have surpassed both Elvis and the Beatles combined with more records made and more charted hits than any other singer or group of singers. I'm certain Father God will be glad to add her to his favorite singers list. I will miss her, and Madeline and I now have no flowers to send her on her birthday, but like millions of her fans, we will never forget her great musical moments which we still can enjoy.
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Welcome to Richard Grudens' Big Band Blog
As a Big Band author, I have written 14 books about the subject that covers the vocalists, musicians, band leaders, arrangers, and associates, including my new best seller Star Dust - The Bible of the Big Bands, a book with over 700 pages and 650 terrific photographs. We will be putting together weekly articles about those folks who made up the Big Band era - many of whom I have personally interviewed.
You'll find never before seen photographs and articles that have not appeared in any of my books as yet. You will find many of them here for your personal enjoyment - mostly current stories and some about the past that include the greats like Benny Goodman, Harry James, Glenn Miller, and all of the other great band leaders.
Try to follow me each week to learn about these people and perhaps you may want to contribute comments and facts of your own.
For instance, did you know that Kitty Kallen who lives in NJ has taken up permanent residence in her long time villa in Mexico where she used to Summer only.
Did you know that Doris Day continues to nurture her four-leggers at her Carmel, CA ranch and has pretty much put her career behind her? Why she won't even answer the phone anymore.
Stay tuned, as they used to say on the radio -- but don't turn that dial, keep it focused on my blog and I'll be seeing you.
You'll find never before seen photographs and articles that have not appeared in any of my books as yet. You will find many of them here for your personal enjoyment - mostly current stories and some about the past that include the greats like Benny Goodman, Harry James, Glenn Miller, and all of the other great band leaders.
Try to follow me each week to learn about these people and perhaps you may want to contribute comments and facts of your own.
For instance, did you know that Kitty Kallen who lives in NJ has taken up permanent residence in her long time villa in Mexico where she used to Summer only.
Did you know that Doris Day continues to nurture her four-leggers at her Carmel, CA ranch and has pretty much put her career behind her? Why she won't even answer the phone anymore.
Stay tuned, as they used to say on the radio -- but don't turn that dial, keep it focused on my blog and I'll be seeing you.
Bio
- of Richard Grudens
- Richard Grudens worked his way up from a studio page at NBC’s studio in New York to writing for the news shows of H.V. Kaltenborn, John Cameron Swayze, News of the World, and the “Today” show. Feature writing for Long Island P.M. Magazine led him to his first book “The Best Damn Trumpet Player - Memories of the Big Band Era. He has written countless magazine articles on such diverse subjects as industrialist Henry Ford, VE Day, Motorcycle Helmet Safety, DNA history and many other interesting subjects. Some of his credits include: - Wild West Magazine: Interview with legendary cowboy star Gene Autry (1995); - California Highway Patrol Magazine, a treatise on The Beach Boys; - World War II Magazine: Cover Story about Bob Hope’s famous USO tours; - Many articles on Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and much more. Richard and wife Madeline enjoy life on Long Island and look forward to bringing you many more books on the Big Band era and beyond.
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