Dick Haymes
Dick Haymes (born September 13, 1918 as Richard Benjamin Haymes in Buenos Aires , † March 28, 1980 in Los Angeles ) was an Argentine singer of the 1940s. He worked as a singer in the swing bands of the 1940s, for example with Harry James , Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey , but was also able to assert himself as a singer of ballads solo.
Live and act
Dick Haymes made his debut as a singer in a hotel in 1931, where bandleader Johnny Johnson noticed him and accepted him into his band for the summer. In 1933 Haymes went to Hollywood , where he formed the band The Katzenjammers , which brought him no success. From 1939 he was a singer in Harry James ' band , where he stayed until 1942. For a short time he was also a member of the bands of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey .
From 1944 Haymes started a solo career with a CBS radio program, where he worked with arranger Matt Dennis (including for the program Something for the Boys with Jack Jenney ) and was able to conclude contracts with Decca Records for recordings. This was followed by a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and the beginning of a film career. During this time, Haymes had his own radio show and appeared on The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, Club 15 and The Auto-Lite Hour . One of his hits during this period was the duet Some Sunday Morning sung with Helen Forrest . Other hits of his Decca era were You'll Never Know, Till the End of Time, It Can't be Wrong, Little White Lies and Mam'selle .
In 1944, Haymes did not want to be registered as a foreigner and moved to Hawaii. When he tried to return, he was initially refused entry to the USA. His film career took off in 1944 when he played the lead role in the musical film Irish Eyes Are Smiling , as well as in the 1945 musical film Jahrmarkt der Liebe and the 1946 musical film Symphony in Swing , in which he again with Gregory Ratoff , as before in Irish Eyes Are Smiling . In 1947 he was again to be seen in two musical films, once at the side of Betty Grable in The Shocking Miss Pilgrim and further on the side of Vera-Ellen in Carnival in Costa Rica , in which Gregory Ratoff was again the director.
From 1947 alcohol problems and economic misery followed, mainly because of the expiring contracts with Fox and Decca . The following year, Haymes starred again in a leading role for Columbia Pictures alongside Ava Gardner in the fantasy comedy Venus Affair . In the musical comedy A Bride in Every Harbor from 1953, Mickey Rooney was one of his film partners. In the early 1950s he wanted to go on a European tour with Billie Holiday , but was refused to leave the country. In 1955 and 1956 he recorded two albums for the Capitol record label , Moondreams and Rain or Shine . In 1961, Haymes migrated to Ireland . A comeback attempt in the USA in the 1970s was no longer successful.
Haymes was married a total of six times, including the actresses Joanne Dru (1941-49) and Rita Hayworth (1953-55). A total of 6 children resulted from these marriages.
It has been claimed that his baritone voice was one of the best of the 20th century.
On March 28, 1980, Dick Haymes died of lung cancer in Los Angeles.
Selection discography
- Tommy Dorsey: In Concert (RCA, 1942)
literature
- Ken Bloom: The American Songbook - The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs - 100 Years of American Popular Music - The Stories of the Creators and Performers . New York City, Black Dog & Leventhal, 2005
Web links
- Dick Haymes in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Dick Haymes at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Haymes, Dick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Haymes, Richard Benjamin (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 13, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buenos Aires , Argentina |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 28, 1980 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California , United States |