Lucy Ann Polk (May 16, 1927 – October 10, 2011) was an American jazz singer who performed with Les Brown's orchestra in the 1950s. She also sang and recorded with

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily Royster Kyser ...

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, and Dave Pell.

Early years

Polk was born in

Sandpoint, Idaho Sandpoint is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Bonner County, Idaho, Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 9,777 as of the 2022 United States census, census. Sandpoint's major economic contributors include forest pr ...

, and raised in

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. She began singing professionally on KHQ radio there at age 9.

Career

Polk began her music career with her sister and brothers in a quartet named the Four Polks, which was eventually changed to the Town Criers. They performed with big bands led by Les Brown,

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

, and

until they disbanded in 1948. Polk became the lead vocalist with the Les Brown Orchestra. From 1952 to 1954, she was named Best Girl Singer with Band by ''

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine. She began her solo career with the album ''Lucy Ann Polk with the Dave Pell Octet'' (

Trend A fad, trend, or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation, or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short time period. Fads are objects or behaviors th ...

, 1954), followed by ''Lucky Lucy Ann'' (Mode, 1957; reissued by Interlude under the name ''Easy Livin'' in 1959). The latter album featured arrangements by

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. On both albums, she sang jazz and traditional pop songs by

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, and

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song, Academy Awards for ...

. She released no more albums and ended her career in 1960.

Personal life

In 1946, Polk married Dick Noel, who played trombone with Les Brown's orchestra.

Discography

* 1949-57 - ''Imagination'' (SSJ, 2013) (w Les Brown Orchestra) * 1950-53 ''- With the Les Brown Orchestra 1950–1953 (Olfert Dappers, 1997)'' * 1954 - ''With the Dave Pell Octet'' (Trend, 1954) * 1956 - ''The Dave Pell Octet Plays Burke & Van Heusen'' (Kapp, 1956) * 1957 - ''Lucky Lucy Ann'' (Mode, 1957)

Notes

External links

Audio of Lucy Ann Polk on ''The Les Brown Show''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Lucy Ann 1927 births 2011 deaths American jazz singers American women jazz singers Big band singers People from Sandpoint, Idaho Singers from Idaho 21st-century American women