Eugenie Baird

Eugenie Baird

Eugenie Baird in 1950
Born November 19, 1923
Died June 12, 1988
Brewster, New York
Nationality American
Occupation Singer
Known for Singing with big bands and on old-time radio programs
Home town Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Eugenie Baird (November 19, 1923[1] – June 12, 1988) was a singer best known for her work with big bands and on musical programs on old-time radio.[2]

Early years

Baird was from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania,[3] the daughter of Eugene Baird. Her father's obituary described him as a construction foreman,[4] but another source said that she came "from a theatrical family."[5] She sang in choral groups in grammar school.[6]

Radio

Baird's early experiences in radio included a thrice-weekly program of her own on KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She gained that spot via audition as a high school student.[3][6]

For a year, Baird was Bing Crosby's singing partner on Kraft Music Hall on NBC.[7] She had her own weekly program, Eugenie Baird Sings, on ABC in 1946,[8] and she "was selected from more than 50 girls to sing the top tunes of all time."[9] on Paul Whiteman's Forever Tops weekly program (also on ABC) that same year[10] The job necessitated her relocation from New York to Hollywood. The show debuted January 21, 1946,[11] and continued into 1947.[1] She also sang on The Jack Smith Show on NBC.[12]

Her other work on old-time radio included singing on The Alec Templeton Show (1947-1948), and Don McNeill's Breakfast Club.[13] Beginning February 12, 1949, she became the "featured female singer" on Sing It Again.[14] Also in 1949, she was one of a group of female vocalists who participated in a 13-disk series of electrical transcriptions that featured Eddy Duchin promoting the United States Navy Reserve.[15]

Baird signed with Lang–Worth Feature Programs, Inc. in 1950 and was part of that company's Remember When series of electrical transcriptions.[16] In 1954, she sang with Earl Wrightson in the weekly hour-long Musicland U.S.A. on CBS.[17]

Big bands

In a 1944 review, jazz writer George T. Simon described Baird as "the prettiest girl I've ever seen in front of a band, and, in addition, the possessor of one of the prettiest voices I've ever heard in back of a microphone."[18]

Baird "got her start ... with Maurice Spitalny and Benny Burton"[19] and sang with Jan Savitt before joining Tony Pastor for 1942-1943.[1] In 1943, she became the Casa Loma Orchestra's first female vocalist.[20] The November 6, 1948, issue of the trade publication Billboard reported, "Eugenie Baird is with the Paul Whiteman concert tour as featured vocalist."[21]

Vaudeville and night clubs

In 1947, Baird was the featured vocalist with Henny Youngman's Vaudeville show,[22] "making her N.Y. vaude[ville] debut."[23] She also appeared with Ray Eberle at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August and September 1947.[24] In September 1948, she was the headliner at the Copa nightclub in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[3]

Stage and film

Baird had the ingenue role[17] in the Broadway production Angel in the Wings (1947-1948).[25]

She was seen, along with Pee Wee Hunt and The Pied Pipers, in a Universal Studios short subject, Smoke Rings, that featured the Casa Loma Orchestra. Released July 28, 1943, the film included the songs Can't Get Stuff in Your Cuff, That's My Affair, and Little Man with the Hammer.[26]

Jingles and commercial recordings

In 1950, Baird was active in making radio jingles that an article in Billboard magazine described as "songs which entertain."[27] She and others worked for George R. Nelson, Incorporated, to produce both jingles and (in the case of the Pepsi-Cola Company) full-length records that the company could "distribute for home use" on phonographs.[27]

Later years

In October 1981, Baird sang at a jazz festival in New York City. An article in The New York Times reported that Baird, "who sang with Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra and who has been inactive for a number of years, will be making a return appearance."[28]

Partial discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rayno, Don (2012). Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music, 1930-1967, Vol. 2. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. p. 415. ISBN 9780810882041.
  2. ↑ DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eugenie Baird Comes to Copa". Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Post Gazette. September 20, 1948. p. 16. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Father of Singer Dead". Pennsylvania, Hazleton. The Plain Speaker. January 19, 1951. p. 31. Retrieved November 9, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Radio Roundup from KFI" (PDF). Radio Life. December 17, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  6. 1 2 West, Virginia (March 31, 1946). "KECA Mike Memos" (PDF). Radio Life. p. 10. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "They Sing While Templeton Plays". Connecticut, Naugatuck. Naugatuck Daily News. July 19, 1947. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Mogle Writing Musical Shows" (PDF). Radio Daily. May 23, 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Vale, Virginia (September 25, 1946). "Star Dust". New Jersey, Hopewell. The Hopewell Herald. p. 3. Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 510-511.
  11. ↑ "Eugenie Baird Pacted For New Whiteman Show". Variety. January 16, 1946. p. 30. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Jose (June 11, 1947). "Radio Reviews: Jack Smith". Variety. p. 38. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. Pp. 17, 90.
  14. ↑ "Singer Joins 'Sing It Again'" (PDF). Radio Daily. February 10, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "Inside Stuff-Radio". Variety. January 26, 1949. p. 43. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Magical Fifth". Broadcasting. April 24, 1950. p. 52. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  17. 1 2 Herman, Pinky (July 8, 1952). "Television -- Radio". Motion Picture Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  18. ↑ Simon, George T. (1974). The Big Bands. Collier Books. P. 122.
  19. ↑ Cohen (October 8, 1941). "Stanley, Pitt". Variety. p. 46. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  20. ↑ "Popular Record Reviews: Glen Gray (Decca)" (PDF). Billboard. April 29, 1944. p. 67. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "Music--As Written" (PDF). Billboard. November 6, 1948. p. 40. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  22. ↑ Tell, Jack (August 23, 1947). "Vaudeville Reviews: Lowe's State, New York" (PDF). Billboard. p. 45. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "House Reviews: State, N.Y.". Variety. August 20, 1947. p. 49. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  24. ↑ "Atlantic City Readies for Swan Song; Race Meet Under '46, Nitery Biz Dived". Variety. August 27, 1947. p. 46. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Eugenie Baird". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "Smoke Rings (Univ.)". Motion Picture Herald. August 7, 1943. p. 1472. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  27. 1 2 "Pepsi-Cola" (PDF). Billboard. February 13, 1950. p. 74. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  28. ↑ Palmer, Robert (October 9, 1981). "Jazz Swings Through Night at St. Peter's Marathon". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  29. ↑ Idol, W. Chase Jr. (October 19, 1941). "Records". North Carolina, High Point. The High Point Enterprise. p. 7. Retrieved November 9, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ Idol, W. Chase Jr. (September 14, 1941). "Records". North Carolina, High Point. The High Point Enterprise. p. 12. Retrieved November 9, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Orodenker, M.H. (November 13, 1943). "On the Records: Glen Gray" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  32. ↑ "Most Played Juke Box Records" (PDF). Billboard. May 20, 1944. p. 19. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  33. ↑ "Music Popularity Chart". Billboard. September 1, 1945. p. 23. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  34. 1 2 "Record Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. June 18, 1949. p. 122. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  35. 1 2 3 "(Hi-Tone Records advertisement)" (PDF). Billboard. May 21, 1949. p. 24. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  36. ↑ "Big Design April Issue". Billboard. April 25, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

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