Vaughn Monroe
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Vaughn Monroe (October 7, 1911 - May 21, 1973) was a singer, trumpeter and big band leader, most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Monroe was born in Akron, Ohio. He formed a band in Boston in 1940 and became its principal vocalist.
He recorded extensively for RCA Victor until the 1950's and his signature tune was "Racing with the Moon" (1941). Among his other hits were "There I've Said It Again" (1945), "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" (1946), "Ballerina" (1947), "Riders in the Sky" (1949), "Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You)" (1949), and "Sound Off" (1951). One lost opportunity - he turned down the chance to record "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
He was tall and handsome which helped him as a band leader and singer, as well as in Hollywood, although he did not pursue a movie and television career with vigor. He was sometimes called 'the baritone with muscles'. He was admired by some and derided by others for both his singing and his persona. He had a pleasant baritone voice that wasn't always quite good enough for the songs he sang, according to his critics. (One said "If he'd just open his mouth further so the sound would come out of IT, instead of his nose....".) He was considered sincere, steady, and down-to-earth by some; pompous and square by others. In spite of these mixed opinions, he had a very successful musical career, with a large number of fans. He continued making night club appearances until shortly before his death in 1973.
During the 1950s and early 1960s he owned a restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts, called The Meadows.
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