About Vaughn Monroe
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Vaughn Monroe. One of the most popular musicians of the 20th Century. Remember Ballerina? How about Ghost Riders in the Sky ? Racing with the Moon and Let it Snow ? Or perhaps you went to The Meadows, the place to go for entertainment in New England, located on Route 9 in Framingham, MA. How about the Camel Caravan radio and TV programs? Or the first RCA color televisions? How about the star of Broadway musicals "Annie Get Your Gun" or "State Fair"? Or, perhaps the fellow next door who came over to help you fix your car?
...that was Vaughn Monroe. A star among stars, but a kind and charming "local" family man.
Despite an early talent for the trumpet, Vaughn Monroe just happened to be blessed with one of the most memorable singing voices in the history of recorded music (His baritone operatic quality earned his voice the nicknames “Old Leather Lungs” and “The voice with hairs on its chest”). While based in Boston, Monroe formed his first orchestra and began recording for Victor's Bluebird label. One of his first singles, There I Go, spent three weeks at the top of the Hit Parade in 1940. His longtime theme song Racing with the Moon debuted in 1941, and the following year brought no less than three number one hits: My Devotion, When the Lights Go on Again (All Over the World), and Let's Get Lost. Monroe and his touring cast of 36 members were the top attraction all over the country for just about the entire 1940s and early 50s.
Like most big bands of the 1940s, a number of well-known artists got their start with Vaughn Monroe. Ray Conniff, guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli, songstress Georgia Gibbs, and Boston saxophone master Andy Bagni all performed with the orchestra. Although most of the big bands broke up after the 1947 musician's union strike, Monroe went on to record his biggest hit in 1949: Ghost Riders In the Sky. From 1940 to 1954, Monroe had close to 70 chart records, including many #1 hits. Three of those songs, Let It Snow, Ghost Riders and Ballerina, rank among the all-time top #1 songs, each dominating the Billboard charts for 10 weeks or more.
From a 1945 souvenir booklet:
Monroe is a man of many hobbies. He likes photography, motorcycling, miniature trains, carpentry, swimming, golf, and especially flying. His earnings are large enough to permit him to be an active flying enthusiast and he owns two planes– Cantina II and Cantina III (named from first three and last four letters of his daughters' names). On dates played within three hundred miles of New York, Vaughn is able to fly home for a visit on his day off. That's a pretty good record for a man who directs RCA Victor's top-selling recording band, plays a hundred one-nighters a year, usually fifteen weeks of theater dates, a dozen other week engagements at night clubs and the like, and is on the air every Saturday night for Camel cigarettes.
News:
The Vaughn Monroe Show DVD is now available!
Featuring:
- 24 performers
- The Vaughn Monroe Orchestra with the original musical arrangements
- The Moon Maids vocal group
- Special guests: The Dancing Duo, a comedian, a ballerina, and 9 vocalists
- Over 30 songs including: There! I've Said it Again, (Ghost) Riders in the Sky, Let it Snow, Ballerina, Let's Get Lost, and of course, Racing With the Moon
- Original ads from Monroe's Camel Caravan TV show
- A full 8-page booklet with biographical information about Maestro Monroe, the music, and the new show
- Over 100 minutes in full color, professionally filmed and edited by Ryan Glista Media
- Filmed "live" on stage at the historic Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA
Now available as a physical DVD and online streaming!