Kitty Kallen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kitty Kallen (born May 25, 1922 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † January 7, 2016 in Cuernavaca , Mexico ) was an American pop singer who was particularly successful in the 1940s and 1950s. Her biggest hit, "Little Things Mean a Lot," topped the music charts in both the United States and Great Britain in 1954 and was the top-selling single in the United States in 1954 .

life and career

After Kitty Kallen won a young talent competition as a child, she was hired as a singer for the children's radio of a radio station in Philadelphia and discovered there. As a teenager, she sang in the big bands of Jan Savitt (1936), Artie Shaw (1938) and Jack Teagarden (1940). She married Teagarden's clarinetist Clint Garvin ; when he had to leave the band , Kitty left too. The marriage was later annulled. After a short time with Bobby Sherwood , she sang in Jimmy Dorsey's band , including on his number one hit " Bésame mucho ". Mostly she sang duets with Bob Eberly ; when drafted into the army in late 1943, Kitty Kallen joined Harry James' big band . She became a popular radio, film and club singer, but at the height of her career she developed vocal problems and had to take hiatus.

She crowned her comeback in 1954 with her biggest hit; "Little Things Mean a Lot" was voted the most popular song of the year by readers of Billboard , and Kitty (on Billboard and Variety ) the most popular singer. “Little Things Mean A Lot” reached number 1 on the US charts and was in the top 30 for 26 weeks. Her following single, “In The Chapel In The Moonlight” , also reached a top ten list with fifth place.

Kitty Kallen was married to the publicist, agent and television producer Budd Granoff († 1996) in second marriage since 1948. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her services to the record industry .

Discography

Selection of well-known songs

  • 1944: Besame Mucho (with Bob Eberly and the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band)
  • 1944: They're Either Too Young or Too Old (with the Jimmy Dorsey Big Band)
  • 1945: I'm Beginning to See the Light (with Harry James and his Big Band)
  • 1945: It's Been a Long Long Time (with Harry James and his Big Band)
  • 1949: Kiss Me Sweet (with Mitch Miller )
  • 1950: Juke Box Annie (with Harry Geller's Orchestra)
  • 1950: Our Lady of Fatima (with Richard Hayes and Jimmy Carroll's Orchestra)
  • 1951: The Aba Daba Honeymoon (with Richard Hayes)
  • 1953: Are You Looking for a Sweetheart?
  • 1954: Little Things Mean a Lot
  • 1954: In the Chapel in the Moonlight
  • 1954: I Want You All to Myself
  • 1955: Go On With the Wedding (with Georgie Shaw)
  • 1955: Sweet Kentucky Rose
  • 1959: If I Give My Heart to You
  • 1960: That Old Feeling
  • 1963: My Coloring Book

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Denise Grady: Kitty Kallen, Big Band Singer of 'Bésame Mucho,' Dies at 94 . New York Times, January 7, 2016, accessed the same day
  2. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Records 1940-1955 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, 1973, p. 29

Web links

Commons : Kitty Kallen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kallen, kitty
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 2016
Place of death Cuernavaca , Mexico