Rouvaun (1932–1975) was born Jim Haun in Bingham,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

. A child singer with the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, he went on to study voice at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and perform with the Beverly Hills Opera Company. Nonetheless, he remained a struggling woodworker studying voice. Rouvaun was a virtual unknown until February 5, 1967, when he appeared in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

as the headline singer leading the 100-person Frederick Apcar French stage review Casino De Paris at the

Dunes Hotel The Dunes was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It opened on May 23, 1955, as the tenth resort on the Strip. It was initially owned by a group of businessmen from out of state, but failed to prosper under their mana ...

. His first record label, KALAMO, described him on his debut album cover as "The World's Greatest Singer". Nicknamed "The Vocal Vesuvius", Rouvaun continued performing on stage to sellout crowds and recorded a number of albums (see below). His career seemed to be blossoming until tragedy struck in 1975, when Rouvaun collapsed and died at age 43 due to massive internal hemorrhaging. Apparently the strain on his

vocal cords In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech ...

had caused his

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

to rupture. Rouvaun's rise to stardom was not by accident. His first vocal coach was

Mario Chamlee Mario Chamlee (May 29, 1892 – November 13, 1966) was one of the lyric tenors who inherited several roles associated with Enrico Caruso at the Metropolitan Opera. Early years His birth name was Archer Ragland Chamlee. Some references errone ...

, a famed tenor among the many who tried to succeed Enrico Caruso at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

in the 1920s. Rouvaun then studied with Mario Silva, acclaimed voice coach of

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

. His singing career led to big city and foreign concerts. His hobbies included foreign cars, riding his

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

, target shooting, listening to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, and painting landscapes and seascapes in oil. He was marketed and promoted by Tony Alamo, who later became a notorious Christian minister. Rouvaun had a potential movie contract in the works to star in the life story of Mario Lanza and had the approval of the Lanza family, although the movie with Rouvaun never happened. Rouvaun's RCA Victor contract called for several long play records and singles to be recorded and released yearly. He left behind a wife and children. One son, Jimmy Haun, went on to become guitarist with the rock group

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five h ...

. Jimmy Haun's daughter and Rouvaun's granddaughter is the television actress

Lindsey Haun Lindsey Haun (born November 21, 1984) is an American actress, singer, and director. She is known for her role as Hadley on the HBO television series ''True Blood''. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the 2000 Disney Chan ...

(born 1984). Rouvaun can be seen and heard here on television and audio clips. An official Rouvaun website put up by Rouvaun's family no longer exists, but a Rouvaun tribute website can still be found on Myspace featuring Rouvaun's music, biography and many photographs from his career (including his stint at the Dunes). A Rouvaun Fan Club existed with many chapters, and comedian

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

was President of the Burbank Chapter,"Interviewing the Legends", 24 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks9WycmL3eE according to program notes on the Rouvaun Album ''From the Heart of a Man''. Television appearances: * ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' 1967. * Jack Benny's Birthday Special 1969.

Discography

*''Rouvaun Sings Love Songs'', Kalamo 42525, 1967 *''The Sound of Rouvaun'', RCA Victor 3866, 1967 *''Walk Into My Life'', RCA Victor 4038, 1968 *''From the Heart of a Man'', RCA Victor LSP-4145, 1969 *''On Days Like These'', RCA Victor LSP-4246, 1969 *''The Time for Love is Anytime'', RCA Victor LSP-4360, 1970 *''A Song of Joy...and Love'', RCA Victor LSP-4498, 1971

References

External links

Rouvaun Tribute Website
on Myspace {{authority control 1932 births 1975 deaths Tabernacle Choir members 20th-century American singers Singers from Utah 20th-century American male singers