Marilyn (Marylin) Duke(néeManfrey Lecta Duke; October 3, 1916 Jackson, Georgia[1] – August 7, 1995 Clayton County, Georgia),[2][3] was an American singer from the swing era of the mid to late 1930s and early 1940s. She began as a soloist in 1933 on radio in Atlanta, then, beginning 1936, was carried on syndicated and network radio from New York City. In the first half of the 1940s, Duke traveled and recorded as a featured singer with big bands, notably with Vaughn Monroe. She distinguished herself as a rhythm singer – that is, a singer who swings.[b] And, while with the Monroe Orchestra, she was acclaimed for having an engaging personality. Duke was a tall[c] brunette, and, according to journalists, attractive.[4] As for her hair color, Duke was a blonde when she re-joined Monroe's band in 1944. After her career with big bands – after 1945 – and into the late 1960s, she performed on-and-off as a nightclub pianist-singer in the metropolitan areas of Boston, New York City, and Newport, Rhode Island. Her recorded hits with Vaughn Monroe include "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and "The Trolley Song" – the latter being a late-1944, post-Petrillo-ban, rush-to-market, swing band vocal duet with Monroe.[Billboard 1]
Career highlights
Growing up
Marilyn Duke learned to sing in a choir at her church, likely the Macedonia Baptist Church in Jackson, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Though, according to a 1995 interview (the year she died) in the Atlanta Constitution, at an early age, she preferred the gospel music of a nearby black church.[5]
Atlanta radio career
In 1933, under the product brand pseudonym of "Miss Seiberling," Duke performed on broadcast radio WGST, Wednesdays, 7:15 pm. The radio name was that of the Seiberling Rubber Company, a national tire manufacturer distributed by the Brooks-Shatterly Company, Inc., of Atlanta.[6][d] In 1934, Duke, under her birth name, Manfrey Duke, sang regularly on WSB radio in Atlanta.[7]
New York radio career
After winning a radio audition contest around 1934, Duke headed to New York City,[3] where, from December 30, 1934, to 1936 (and later), she sang regularly on NBC radio and the Mutual Broadcasting Company. She was billed as a blues singer and contralto. Her radio broadcasts included performances with the orchestras of Leon Brusiloff (1898–1973) and his brother Nathan Brusiloff (1904–1951)[e] and Paul Whiteman.[1] In 1935, her broadcast performances were sometimes with the Charioteers, a male choral quartet. Beginning December 30, 1934, Duke sang on WOR two or three times a week – typically Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 5:15 pm. She sang 15-minute segments, usually. The WOR broadcasts were carried on the Mutual Network.
Early dance orchestra career
From Mid to late-1930s, Duke, as vocalist, was the star attraction for Manny Gates (né Emanuel Getzholtz; 1894–1957) Orchestra in Miami[8][f] She joined Jolly Coburn's (né Frank Harry Coburn; 1900–1964)[9][g] Orchestra, a society band, around July 1937[h] after playing a piano stint at a Boston nightclub. Duke also sang with the Shep Fields Orchestra in 1937 (in Philadelphia).[10][11]
Joined Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra in 1940
On New Year's Eve 1940, at age twenty-four – 11 months, 2 weeks and 5 days after the death of her father – Duke debuted with the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra at the Statler Hotel Boston, eight months after Monroe founded the orchestra. Her father died January 8, 1940, of injuries as a pedestrian struck by a truck.[12] Monroe formed his orchestra April 1940 in Miami at the urging and sponsorship of band agent Willard Alexander (1908–1984)[i] and New England–based band leader Jack Marshard (né Jacob Marshard; 1910–1948), who saw an opportunity when offered two simultaneous bookings.[13] Marshard became his manager. Marylin Duke was Monroe's first female vocalist.[14] She had been working as a pianist-singer at a Boston nightclub; but because an infected finger interrupted her playing, she auditioned for Vaughn Monroe and was promptly signed.[15] Her notoriety rose rapidly during her tenure with Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra as a featured singer.
Departure from Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra in 1943
She left the Monroe Orchestra around June 1943 to join the WAAC,[16] but instead, continued performing, which included a two-month stint with Tommy Dorsey. That same year (1943), Duke also sang with Will Osborne and His Orchestra. Filling the void, Monroe hired Phyllis Lynne[j] July 31, 1943, in Los Angeles, to replace Duke. Monroe gave Lynne her East Coast debut on September 14, 1943, in New York City at the Paramount.
Rejoined Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra in 1944
Around June 1944, Duke began a 10-week solo engagement at the Frolic Club (aka, the Frolic Theatre Restaurant),[k] in Revere, Massachusetts, at 155 Revere Beach Boulevard.[Billboard 2] But, apparently before finishing, she was back with Vaughn Monroe by mid-July 1944, replacing Del Parker.[17][l][Billboard 3] In September 1944, she married Peter O'Brien, a Boston amusement park owner.[18]
She then permanently left the orchestra around January 1945.[19] Yet, on April 14, 1945, Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra featured Duke, with Bobby Ricky, in Dayton, Ohio, at the Lakeside Park Ballroom.
A large part of Vaughn Monroe's repertoire featured the singing of Monroe, himself, as well as Marilyn Duke, Ziggy Talent,[m] The Murphy Sisters, and The Moonmaids.
On and off solo career
In December 1945, she was performing at the Music Box in Boston.
Popularity
Polls
1942: Billboard's "Collegiate Choice of Female Vocalists," Duke received votes for first and second choice.[Billboard 4]
April 12, 1942: A swing magazine presented Marilyn Duke with an award during Vaughn Monroe's final performance, after a long engagement, at the Commodore Hotel in New York[Billboard 5]
In January 1945, Duke's rendition of "The Trolley Song," became a top-ten hit. That song, and the one on the flip side, "The Very Thought of You," were recorded Sunday, November 12, 1944, at Victor's studio in New York, 18 hours after the 27-month Petrillo Ban had been lifted. The session represented Victor's first since the ban. Both songs were pressed and on sale only 24 hours later. Victor Victor distributed 160,000 copies throughout the country before the week was out.[20][Billboard 1][n][Billboard 6]
Recorded June 24, 1937, New York City Jack Lawrence (w&m)
Peter Tinturin (1910–2007) (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Jolly Coburn and His Orchestra
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Recorded January 13, 1941
William Benton Overstreet (1888–1935) (music)
Billy Higgins (né William Weldon Higgins; 1888–1937) (words)
(audio on YouTube)
Marylin Duke (vocalist)
Bobby Nichols (né Robert J. Nichols; 1924–1975) (trumpet solo)
Side A (matrix 060317=1): Bluebird B-11025-A
"Requestfully Yours"
Recorded February 17, 1941
Kay Werner (Kay Werner Kent) (w&m)
Sue Werner (Sue Werner McCarthy) (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Frank Levine (alto sax solo)
Nichols (trumpet solo)
Side B (matrix 60650=1): Bluebird B-11070-B OCLC82407821
"Just Plain Folks" (fox trot)
Recorded February 17, 1941, New York City Tiny Hill (w&m)
Mary Ray (w&m)
Harold Dillon (w&m)
Marilyn Duke (vocals)
Side A (matrix 060652=1): Bluebird B-11085-A OCLC84124275
"Thumbs Up" (fox trot)
Recorded February 17, 1941, New York City
Johnny Watson[o] (w&m)
Marilyn Duke (vocals)
Side A (matrix 060654=1): Bluebird B-11103-A OCLC244442524
"G'Bye Now" (fox trot)
Recorded March 31, 1941
From the musical:
"Aurora"
Recorded April 21, 1941, New York City Roberto Roberti Mário Lago(pt)
English lyrics by Harold Adamson
Spanish lyrics by Pedro Berriós
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
The Bostonians (vocalists)
Side A: (matrix 063795=1): Bluebird B-11160-A
"The Monkey on a String"
Recorded April 21, 1941, New York City
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Side B: (matrix 063794=2): Bluebird B-11160-B
"Love Me As I Am"
Recorded May 19, 1941
From the Paramount film:
"The Worm Who Loved The Little 'Tater-Bug'" (fox Trot)
Recorded June 16, 1941
Len Charles Conn (w&m)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Side B (matrix 066109=1): Bluebird B-11207-B OCLC81442242
"Love Me A Little" (fox trot)
Recorded June 30, 1941
Herbie Holmes (w&m)
Howard Smith (w&m)
Ellen Orr (pseudonym of Harry DeCosta)[p] (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocal refrain)
Side A (066433=1): Bluebird B-11221-A OCLC259959977, 83120490
"One, Two, Three O'Lairy"
Recorded August 15, 1941
Don Reid[q] (w&m)
Max Chamiton (w&m)
(Oh! My! Whoa! Mary!) (fox trot)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Vaughn Monroe (vocalist)
Arnold Ross (1921–2000) (piano solo)[r]
Side A (067581=1): Bluebird B-11283-A OCLC261400802
"The Window Washer Man"
Recorded September 2, 1941
Hugo Malanga (words)
Marion Barry (music)
(audio on YouTube)
Ziggy Talent[m]
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Side B (matrix 067734=1): Bluebird B-11303-B OCLC725171423
"Tica Ti-Tica Ta" (fox trot)
Recorded November 24, 1941 Louis Prima (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Ziggy Talent[m] (vocalist)
Chorus (vocals)
Side B (matrix 068348=1): Bluebird B-11433-B OCLC77611884
"Pretty Little Busybody"
Recorded December 18, 1941 Al Lewis (w&m) Larry Stock (w&m) Vincent Rose (w&m)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Jack Fay (bassist and vocalist)
Side B (matrix 068679=1): Bluebird B-11422-B OCLC78456361
"Honey Dear" (fox trot)
Recorded January 15, 1942, New York City
Floyd Hunt, Lester Melrose (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Bobby Nichols (né Robert J. Nichols; 1924–1975) (trumpet solo)
Side B (matrix 068886=1): Bluebird B-11454-B OCLC79121196
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Side A (matrix 071959=1): Bluebird B-11488-A OCLC77820128
Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra on Victor
Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor. During the WWII years (and the recording ban), Victor reissued hundreds of jazz records from its Bluebird library. After World War II, the Bluebird label was retired and its artists were re-issued on the RCA Victor label.
"Requestfully Yours"
Recorded February 17, 1941
Kay Werner (Kay Werner Kent) (w&m)
Sue Werner (Sue Werner McCarthy) (w&m)
(audio on YouTube)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Side B: Victor 20-2825-B
"Doodle La Do Da" (fox trot)
Recorded September 30, 1941
John D. Watson[o] (w&m)
Marilyn Duke and chorus (vocals)
Side B (matrix 071430=2): Victor 27892-B OCLC900226181
"All I Need Is You" (fox trot)
Recorded April 7, 1942 Peter De Rose (w&m) Benny Davis (w&m) Mitchell Parish (w&m) Vaughn Monroe (trumpet); George "Spots" Esposito, Irving Goodman, Jack Hansen (trumpets); Ray Conniff, Art Dedrick, Ray Heath (trombones); Andrew Bagni (né Andrew Joseph Bagni; 1907–1984), Roy Anderson (alto saxes), Frank Levine, Johnny Turnbull, Ziggy Talent[m] (tenor saxes); Arnold Ross[r] (piano, arranger); Carmen Mastren (guitar), Jack Fay (bass); Harry Yaeger (drums), Marilyn Duke, Four Vees (vocals); Jimmy Mundy (arranger)
Side A (matrix 073816=1): Victor 27910-A OCLC900226262, 80793993
"You Were Never Lovelier"
Recorded July 17, 1942
From the 1942 film:
Broadcast: Commodore Hotel, New York
Opening Night: Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
September 28, 1944
Star Line SLC61105 (released 1987)
Marilyn Duke (vocalist)
Track 3: "Ten Days With Baby"
April 14, 1943: Coca-Cola Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands (over 168 stations on the Blue Network), broadcast from MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse; Duke and Dick Shanahan (drummer) were featured guests with Will Osborne and His Hollywood Band.
Manfrey Lecta Duke was born to William Franklin Duke, Jr. (1874–1940), and Gussie Mae Vaughn (maiden; 1895–1961) — William Duke's second of two wives. Gussie, after the death of William Franklin Vaughn, married John Richardson. Manfrey Duke had 2 brothers and 1 sister. She also had 2 half-sisters and 1 half-brother from her father's first marriage to Margaret L ("Maggie") Scarbrough (maiden; 1874–1910).
Husbands
Peter O'Brien
Sometime around the fall of 1944, Marylin Duke married Peter O'Brien, who – according to a syndicated press announcement of their marriage – was a Boston amusement park magnate.[18][25] They adopted two sons, Michael and Patrick. Their marriage ended in divorce.
Benjamin Cushing Bowker
Marylin Duke was known as Manfred L. Bowker when she died August 7, 1995, in Clayton County, Georgia. She had been residing in Fayetteville, Fayette County, Georgia. She was the widow of Benjamin Cushing Bowker (1912–1968), a native of Quincy, Massachusetts, who died in an auto accident in Jackson County, Georgia. At the time of his death, they were residents of Dorchester, Massachusetts.[26] Bowker was a 1933 alumnus of Harvard and 1934 alumnus of Boston Teachers College; early in his career, Bowker had been a journalist from Boston. He later worked in corporate public relations. Darren Bowker (born 1974), a grandson of Benjamin Bowker and Joan C. Valentas (1913–1979), Benjamin's first wife, is a winemaker with Serenity Vineyards in Penn Yan, in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Death
Duke suffered a stroke in 1990 and was treated at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta. Her maternal 1st cousin, Marilyn Jean Howell (née Vaughn), cared for her until her death August 7, 1995. Duke is buried in Crest Lawn Memorial Park, Atlanta, in the family plot of her maternal Aunt Clara Belle Tarrant (née Vaughn; 1899–1982)
Images
Marilyn Duke and Matty Principal at the Moulin Rouge Hotel, Las Vegas, June 5, 1955 (12 days after the hotel's official grand opening)
(néeVirginia Annabell Ahn; September 13, 1921 Delaware County, Ohio – January 23, 1986 Ventura County, California) eloped with John Weigel New Year's Eve 1944; They divorced in the mid-1960s; she then married Holcombe; after singing with the Four Lee Sisters, she sang with the Moonmaids, then spent a year with the Andrews Sisters, filling-in for Maxene Andrews; John Weigel was the founder of Weigel Broadcasting; The late Tim Weigel, a son, was a notable sportscaster; Rafer Weigel, a grandson (Tim's son), is a news anchor in St. Louis for KTVI Fox 2, Jenniffer Weigel, a granddaughter (Tim's daughter), is a Chicago-based TV personality
Virginia is buried at Rio Verde Memorial Gardens in Rio Verde, Arizona,[28] where Maree's husband John Egers is buried
Maree
(akaMary or Marie, néeMaree L. Ahn; April 11, 1924 Delaware County, Ohio – 2016)[29] currently one hundred years old, from Bellevue, Ohio, had been a singer with the Lee Sisters performing with Horace Heidt (beginning in 1940), Ted Lewis, Monroe, then as soloist with Dick Rogers (1912–1970),[v][30] then with the Norton Sisters, then, after the Moonmaids (who replaced the Norton Sisters) had been working with Monroe, she joined the Moonmaids, turning it into a quintet. In addition to her ensemble roles, she had been Monroe's lead singer. Soon after two Moonmaid singers left to get married, the quintet became a quartet again, with Maree Lee filling the third spot, replacing Katie Myatt, and June Hiett filling the fourth.[31] Lee left Monroe's band on December 20, 1952, to get married; and on December 21, 1952, she married[32] Warren Edward Grafe (1921–1973); she also had been married to George William Eger, Jr. (1918–2002)
Maree is the co-author with Robert H. Mason of Verde Valley Lore (1997), a history of Verde Valley, Arizona
Vaughn Monroe became the host for a radio show sponsored by Camel Cigarettes. Beginning July 1942, Monroe and his Orchestra aired 30 minutes, Monday's, at 8:30, Eastern time, on CBS Radio from the Rhodes Ballroom, Providence, Rhode Island. According to Marilyn Jean Howell (née Vaughn) — Marilyn Duke's maternal 1st cousin who cared for her during the last five years of her life – Duke was a chain smoker of Camel Cigarettes.
Daniel C. Gabel (born 1988) is a trombonist and founder/leader of The Abletones (a big band specializing in 1930s and 1940s music). He is a jazz history scholar, particularly the big band era. He holds two bachelor's degrees from UMass (Political Science and, from the UMass Commonwealth Honors College, Jazz History). In 2014, he earned a master's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music; his thesis was on Vaughn Monroe; he is the president and CEO of The American Big Band Preservation Society, Inc. (www.americanbigband.org), a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity; as of 2016, in Worcester, Gabel is director of music at his alma mater (class of 2007), Holy Name Central Catholic Jr./Sr. High School and director of jazz programs, Worcester Youth Orchestras
^The Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society was founded in 2001; its website is maintained by Louis J. Kohnen, Jr., of East Rochester, New York, and Claire Schwartz of Dearborn, Michigan
^During the swing era, most big bands featured a female and male vocalist; generally one singer primarily sang straight renditions of ballads, while the other was more of a rhythm singer, someone who swung tunes and, as was the case with Marylin Duke, sang the blues (Bebop, by Scott Yanow, Miller Freeman, Inc., 2000, pg. 172; OCLC47008488)
^Marylin Duke was known as the tallest female singer in the business. Published accounts state that she was 5'9". But her maternal 1st cousin, Marilyn Howell, who cared for her during her final 5 years of life, stated that she was 6 feet tall. For reference, Howell, herself, is 5'10"; Howell also said that Duke was a heavy smoker and had problems, before her stroke, with alcohol; Marilyn smoked Camel Cigarettes, the brand that Vaughn Monroe promoted beginning 1946
^Brooks-Shatterly Company, Inc., was an Atlanta distributor of Seiberling Tires, automobile accessories, and hardware; the company name reflected its two key executives, Everett Clinton Shatterly (1893–1959), president, and Harry H. Brooks (né Henry Harrison Brooks; 1894–1954), secretary-treasurer
^Leon Brusiloff (1898–1973), a violinist, is not the same person as Leon Brusilow (1897–1968), father of violinist, conductor, and music educator Anshel Brusilow; likewise, Nathan Brusiloff (1904–1951) — Leon Brusiloff's brother, also a violinist – is not the same person as Anshel Brusilow's brother, Nathan Brusilow (1920–2004), the late notable classical clarinetist from Philadelphia
^Mannie Gates (né Emanuel Getzholtz; 1894–1957) led an orchestra in Miami
^Willard Alexander (né Willard Herman Alexander; 1908–1984) left MCA in 1937 to start a band booking division at the William Morris Agency, and ran it until 1947, when he left to form his own agency, Willard Alexander, Inc., based in New York City; he was known for having been an influential exponent of big band jazz during its heyday, and long after, until his death
^Phyllis Lynne (born 1919, Alameda, California) was a featured vocalist with Russ Morgan (1941–1943), Chico Marx (pre-cinema entertainment at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles (1943); Vaughn Monroe (1943–1944), Frankie Carle (1944–1945), and Bob Crosby (1945–1946); in line with her having done screen tests in Hollywood, Lynne left Crosby late 1946 to accept a role in the musical comedy Toplitzky of Notre Dame (George Marion, Jr., book and lyrics; Sammy Fain, music) which had pre-Broadway tryout performances (beginning October 31, 1946) in Boston at the Shubert Theatre and (beginning December 2, 1946) in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre, then went to the New Century Theatre on Broadway, where it ran for 60 performances over 7 weeks; at some point, Lynne also was a featured vocalist with Tex Williams... and also Freddy Martin; Lynne quit show business to raise dalmatians, but found that her hobby was so expensive that she returned to singing, joining Carl Cotner (né Carl Benjamin Cotner; 1916–1986), Gene Autry's musical director, as vocalist with his band; also in 1950, Lynne sang on ABC from San Francisco in a show called Melody Promenade, with Phil Bavero (né Philip Martin Bavero; 1908–1985) and His Orchestra; Lynne got her first job in 1939 on the West Coast as soloist with Paul Pendarvis(né Paul Plumley Pendarvis; 1907–1987) (de) — before that, Lynne was in a trio called "The Boys and a Blonde;" Lynne was blonde, blue-eyed, and 5 ft. 1/2 in. tall; Lynne received her primary and secondary education at Sarah Dix Hamlin School (founded 1863) in San Francisco (through mid-11th grade) and graduated from Beverly Hills High School around 1937; she attended UCLA for 1 year
^The Frolic Theatre and Restaurant operated as a bar until the Harry Della Russo (1907–1973) and Cella (James, 1892–1962; and Michael, 1895–) families acquired it in the 1930s, turning it into a world-class entertainment complex. (Revere by William J. Craig, Arcadia Publishing, 2004; OCLC57495324)
^Del Parker (née Ida Pikus; 1921–2000), also known in her youth as Adele Ethel Pikus, and known while singing with Jimmy Dorsey as Dee Parker, had been a singer with Ed Wynn and Jimmy Dorsey; she became known as Auntie Dee, on The Auntie Dee Show, a TV show from the 1950s; she sang a year with Vaughn Monroe and two years with Jimmy Dorsey; for her professional career, she changed her surname to Parker; Parker married Phillip M. Brestoff (1909–1967) in Chicago on June 3, 1943; he was the leader of a dance orchestra that she had been singing with; Brestoff later became a radio station executive; they moved to Hollywood in 1956; In 1968, after Brestoff's death, Dee married Guy Cherney (1917–1989)
^ abcdeZiggy Talent (né Zigmund James Talent; 1912–1997) was a saxophonist and featured vocalist; he was from Boston
^ abJohnny Watson (né John Kluczko; 1912–1977) (ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1980; OCLC12259500)
^Harry DeCosta (né Harry Milton DeCosta; 1885–1964) (ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1980; OCLC12259500)
^Don Reid (né Donald Reid; born 1915) (ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1980; OCLC12259500)
^ abcArnold Ross (ne Arnold Rosenberg; 1921–2000) was a prolific jazz pianist, organist, and arranger, and studio musician (ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1980; OCLC12259500)
^Sam Braverman (né Sam William Braverman; 1898–1960) was a Russian-born American musician-songwriter and tenor from Rochester, New York; in the mid- to late 1920s, he sang on WHAM radio, and, from 1919 to 1959, he was associated with Neisner Bros., Inc., namely as head buyer of sheet music and records ("Braverman Dies at 61,", Billboard, April 18, 1960)
^Eddy Brown (1895–1974) had been a child prodigy violinist who, as a child, studied with Leopold Auer
^Jack B. Reynolds (born 1904) was a pianist at a hotel in Miami Beach owned by James Henry Brennan (1878–1960) (ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, 1980; OCLC12259500)
^Dick "Stinky" Rogers (aka Dick Robertson; 1912–1970), not to be confused with Richard Rodgers, was a lyricist, vocalist, comedian, band leader, and pianist. He had been a pianist and vocalist with Will Osborne; Osborne gave up his band to go to Hollywood in the latter part of 1940, Rogers took over as leader and continued its high musical quality through 1945, thanks in part to fine arrangements by Jerry Bittick (né Gerald R. Bittick); Stan Getz, at age 15, made his professional debut with Dick Rogers at the Roseland Ballroom in December 1942, and shortly after getting his AFM Local 802 union card on January 14, 1943, a truant officer yanked him off the job; meanwhile also in 1942, Osborne formed a new big band, and, in 1946, recorded for the Black & White Records, featuring vocalist Eileen Wilson, then disbanded after his last return to the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago in 1948; Rogers, as lyricist, and Earle Hagen, as composer, wrote "Harlem Nocturne," which, as an instrumental, became a jazz standard
^ ab"On The Radio Waves Today: Manfrey Duke, Southern Songbird, Will Sing Over WGST Tonight," by Samuel E. Clarke, Atlanta Constitution, June 7, 1936, pg. 7K (retrieved June 16, 2016, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
David George Whitney (born 1952) of Billerica, Massachusetts, is a Boston-area jazz trumpeter, vocalist, band leader, educator, and jazz musicologist; he is an influential exponent of traditional jazz and swing
^"Jamming with the Big Guys Singer Loved It All, Well, Maybe Not The 'Apple Tree, by Michael Weiss, Atlanta Constitution, January 12, 1995 (retrieved June 16, 2016; ProQuest document ID: 293111489)
^"Singer Features Brooks-Shatterly Weekly Broadcast," Atlanta Constitution, October 1, 1933, pg. 17A (retrieved June 16, 2016, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
^"Those Wild Radio Waves: WSB," Atlanta Daily World April 7, 1934, pg. 6 (retrieved June 16, 2016, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
^"Lights of New York" (Bell Syndicate column), by L.L. Stevenson (né Louis Lacy Stevenson; 1879–1953) (longtime New York correspondent for The Detroit News), Amsterdam Evening Recorder and Daily Democrat, October 14, 1944, pg. 4, col. 5
^"B. C. Bowker Services Tuesday in Boston," The Boston Globe, March 25, 1968, pg. 29 (retrieved June 16, 2016, via ProQuest Historical Newspapers)
^"Couple, Recently Wed, to Make Home in Iran," Sandusky Register (Ohio), August 3, 1946, pg. 3 (retrieved July 27, 2016, via www.newspapers.com; fee required)
^Maree Lee's birth certificate is digitally indexed as "Marge L. Alm" born April 11, 1924, in Delaware County, Ohio (www.ancestry.com. Retrieved July 28, 2016, subscription required)