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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZSHORE, Dinah(b Frances Rose Shore, 1 March 1917, Winchester TN; d 24 February 1994, Beverly Hills CA) Singer. She began on Nashville radio, adopting the 1925 hit 'Dinah' as her theme, and changed her name; auditions with Benny Goodman and other bands were unsuccessful. Her voice was perhaps too soft to sing with a big band, so she became one of the first of a new breed: the pop singer as a star in her own right. She recorded with Xavier Cugat: hits with him were 'Quierme Mucho (Yours)' (recorded '39, a hit '41), 'The Breeze And I', two-sided hit 'Whatever Happened To You?'/'The Rumba-Cardi', all '40. She was a regular on radio's Chamber Music Society Of Lower Basin Street '40-2, the Eddie Cantor show '41, and by then was one of the singing stars of the decade. She appeared occasionally on radio's Your Hit Parade early '40s; in films Thank Your Lucky Stars '43, Up In Arms and Belle Of The Yukon '44, Till The Clouds Roll By and Fun And Fancy Free '47, Aaron Slick From Punkin Crick '52; sang on the soundtrack of Make Mine Music '46; entertained troops during WWII. She had 75 hit records '40-54 on Bluebird, Victor, then Columbia '46-50, then RCA, including first big hit 'Yes My Darling Daughter' '40; no. 1 hits were 'I'll Walk Alone' '44, 'The Gypsy' '46, 'Anniversary Song' '47, 'Buttons And Bows' '48 (with the Happy Valley Boys, song from film Paleface). 'Blues In The Night' '42 was no. 4, eventually sold a million; other hits: 'Doin' What Comes Natur'lly' '46 with Spade Cooley, 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' '49 one of several duets with Buddy Clark: Oscar-winning song by Frank Loesser was sung by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban in Neptune's Daughter, revived '60 by Ray Charles/Betty Carter. Also 'In Your Arms' '51 (duet with Tony Martin), even top 30 vocal version of hit instrumental 'Delicado' '52 (Percy Faith had the no. 1). Even greater fame thanks to TV: variety show sponsored by Chevrolet was top-rated mid-'50s/early '60s; she hosted specials, came back early '70s with non-musical morning show Dinah's Place. Albums of her 78s were hits '45 as soon as the Billboard album chart began; 10-inch LP 'Swonderful on Columbia had the duets with Clark; also Holding Hands At Midnight and Moments Like These on RCA, Sings Cole Porter And Richard Rodgers and Love Songs were Columbia compilations on Harmony; Dinah, Yes Indeed! and Dinah Sings, Previn Plays with André Previn on Capitol, all '50s; later Songs For Sometime Losers on Project, Oh Lonesome Me on Seagull, Once Upon A Summertime on Bainbridge. Radio shows with Bing Crosby were compiled on Sunbeam. |