Fran Frey (December 23, 1903 in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

- December 1, 1962 in California) was a singer and saxophonist best known for his work for George Olsen and His Music in the 1920s and early 1930s. Among his better known songs are "

The Varsity Drag "The Varsity Drag" is a pop song written by Ray Henderson (music), Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown (words), which became known in 1927.Don Tyler: ''Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era''. Jefferson, North Carolina & London, ...

" of 1927; "Big City Blues" of 1929, and " A Garden in the Rain", also of 1929. Frey sang on 77 songs with the George Olsen band on recordings and on the radio. "

Who The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

?" sold more than a million copies. Frey was heard on the '' Oldsmobile Program'' on CBS radio in 1933. Frey was the composer of the song, "Tell The Story", which was used as the early theme song for the 1940's radio program '' The Big Story'', starring Edward G. Robinson. The composition was recorded again in 1962 by

Frank De Vol Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American bandleader, arranger, composer and actor. As a composer, he was nominated for four Academy Awards. Early life De Vol was born in Moundsville in Marshall County in no ...

and his Rainbow Strings orchestra, and published on their album, "More Radio's Great Old Themes". Sometime in the 1980's radio hos
John Hickman
of

WAMU WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news– talk station that services the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary Nati ...

used it as the opening theme music for the old time radio variety show
The Big Broadcast
'' and it has remained the theme song for ''The Big Broadcast'' continuously since then. Although he played for several other bands after Olsen's, including

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

's, he never achieved the level of fame he had in earlier years. Frey died of a heart attack in his home on December 2, 1962, at the age of 58. At the time of his death, he was writing music for the

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and for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

.Lists dates of birth and death. Ancestry.com. Accessed July 13, 2013.
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References

External links

AllMusic entry

Fran Frey recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Frey, Fran 1903 births 1962 deaths American male saxophonists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male singers