Jimmy Roberts (April 6, 1923 – February 6, 1999) was an American tenor singer. He was a featured performer on the TV variety program ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 t ...

'' during its entire broadcast run from 1955 to 1982. Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, he was serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when he was hit with the "show business" bug. He first sang in public during a military play while the sets were being changed and, upon his discharge from the Army, set out for Hollywood to learn his craft at the Herbert Wall Music School. In 1954, he was hired by

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

as a soloist when Welk's orchestra performed on local television station

KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is ...

and at the Aragon Ballroom in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, California. A year later, when the

orchestra made the move to national television on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

, Roberts' natural singing talents made him nationally famous. During his tenure on the show, his signature numbers such as "

I Left My Heart in San Francisco "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is a popular song, best known as the signature song of Tony Bennett. It was written in late-1953 in Brooklyn, New York, with music by George Cory (1920–1978) and lyrics by Douglass Cross (1920–1975). I ...

" and "

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!", typically shortened to "My Old Kentucky Home", is a sentimental ballad and regional anthem of Kentucky. It was written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firt ...

" made him an audience favorite, especially among the show's female fans. He also sang duets with the show's Champagne Lady

Norma Zimmer Norma Zimmer (July 13, 1923 – May 10, 2011) was an American vocalist, best remembered for her 22-year tenure as Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady" on ''The Lawrence Welk Show''. Early years Born Norma Larsen on a dairy farm in Shoshone County, I ...

. Although he receded from the national spotlight by the late 1970s, Roberts continued to perform and tour until the early 1990s. From 1983 to 1987, he worked with a talent outfit entitled "Young American Stars of Tomorrow." His piano accompanist was well-known recording artist and educator Steve Whipkey (who was in his teens). Promoter/percussionist Jay Van Hall was the host of the program, and the outfit achieved modest financial and commercial success in the Tampa Bay area, where Roberts lived. Roberts was the father of two sons, Gary and Steven, from his first marriage with Jane. He and his second wife, Vi, were married from 1985 until his death in

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...

from

bone cancer A bone tumor is an neoplastic, abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as benign, noncancerous (benign) or malignant, cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body su ...

in 1999, just two months before his 76th birthday.

External links

Stars of the Lawrence Welk Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Jimmy 1924 births 1999 deaths American tenors Deaths from bone cancer in the United States 20th-century American singers Lawrence Welk People from Madisonville, Kentucky Singers from Kentucky United States Army personnel of World War II Deaths from cancer in Florida 20th-century American male singers