Pauline Byrns (May 6, 1917 – September 18, 1990) was an American singer who recorded successfully in the swing era of the late 1930s and 1940s, notably with

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

and the vocal groups Six Hits and a Miss and The Starlighters. She was often credited as Pauline Byrne or Pauline Byrnes. Singer

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

said of her: "Oh, what a singer.... I admired her so much". She was born in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. At the age of 17 she won a talent contest in Washington, and began singing and touring with big bands. In 1937 she moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and joined the singing group Three Hits and a Miss to replace Martha Tilton. As the group changed personnel, so its name changed, later recording as Six Hits and a Miss; the group's other members included Vince Degen, her husband Jerry Preshaw, Howard Hudson - later her second husband - and Tony Paris. In 1938, Byrne was described by the magazine ''Records and Recording'' as "one of the finest vocalists to grace a bit of waxed jazz in some years. Her voice is a rich contralto, best in the lower register..." The group recorded with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, appeared in several movies in the early 1940s, including the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

film '' The Big Store'', and performed regularly on the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Show on radio. LA Times, ''Obituary: Pauline Byrns Hudson; Retired Singer'', September 20, 1990
/ref> The version of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

's " You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" by Six Hits and a Miss made no. 11 on the US charts in 1943. She also recorded " Lullaby of Broadway" as a featured vocalist with the David Rose Orchestra, and in 1940 recorded " Gloomy Sunday" and "Don't Fall Asleep" with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. She formed another vocal group, The Starlighters, with Hudson, Degen and Paris, in 1946; an early member of the group was

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

. Andy Williams, ''Moon River And Me: The Autobiography'', Hachette UK, 2009
/ref> The Starlighters (unconnected to other groups of that name) recorded successfully for several labels in the late 1940s and early 1950s, including some records with

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

. However, Byrns left the group in 1947, after giving birth to her first child. Thereafter she retired from the music business. In later years she lived in Encino and then Tarzana with her husband, Howard G. Hudson. She died of cancer in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles at the age of 73.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrns, Pauline 1917 births 1990 deaths Singers from Missouri 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers