Roberta Sherwood (July 1, 1913, St. Louis, Missouri – July 5, 1999,

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

) was an American singer, notable in part for her sudden rise to fame at the age of 43.

Early life and rise to stardom

Roberta's father Robert Sherwood was the manager of a traveling

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

; she and her sister Anne were raised on the road after their mother died. Roberta started performing in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

at age 11, and the sisters soon became a vaudeville and

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

act. In 1932 they met Broadway actor Don Lanning, who mentored Roberta and ultimately married her in 1938. They both abandoned careers to settle in Miami, opening a small nightclub where she continued to perform. After the restaurant lost its lease, they got a concession to operate a hotel lounge. In 1953 Don was diagnosed with lung cancer and lost their concession. After an attempt to start another nightclub failed, Sherwood began to seriously pursue her career. For several years she met with little success. A trip to

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 ...

, where she stayed with family friend

Gene Austin Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early "crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for a ...

, failed to advance her career. In September 1955 a chance meeting led to a nightclub gig in a

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which s ...

club, and in January 1956 she suddenly became a success. The comedian

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work ...

became a fan and brought columnist

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

to see her; he gave her rave reviews. Soon she was performing in clubs nationwide and had a contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

. She was profiled in ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine in October."Matron With a Torch Song: Broke, Unknown, and 43, Roberta Sherwood Has Sudden Success", ''

'', October 15, 1956, p. 111-119. A November 1956 ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' poll of DJs picked her as the 19th most popular "album artist" and #8 on a list of "Most Promising Female Vocalists".

Style

Sherwood was usually described as a

torch singer A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affecte ...

; she appeared on stage in a sweater and glasses, and used a cymbal held in her hand for accompaniment. ''Life'' described her as "flashy, richly sentimental, as unsubtle as her crashing cymbal and as unpretentious as her $49.50 dress".

Later career

Sherwood's recordings were not tremendous successes; her only charting hit was " Lazy River", which hit No. 57 on the Hot 100 in 1956 – but she continued to have a singing and recording career into the 1970s. Her recordings apparently did well in jukeboxes, which perhaps explains why they continued to appear. She appeared four times on ''

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 ...

'' and on many other variety shows of the late 1950s. She appeared on ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'', as a singer. She was interviewed by Edward R. Murrow on Person to Person. In the 1960s she appeared once on

Joey Bishop Joseph Abraham Gottlieb (February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007), known professionally as Joey Bishop, was an American entertainer who appeared on television as early as 1948 and eventually starred in his own weekly comedy series playing a talk ...

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

and once on his talk show. She also appeared with her sons on a memorable 1964 '' Lucy Show'' with

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

as well as ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary ...

''s 4th-season episode "Donna Meets Roberta" (May 1962). Todon Productions,

Donna Reed Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger; January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in ...

's production company, used the end of that episode to introduce the pilot of Sherwood's own show, which co-starred

Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfist ...

but never aired. She continued to headline nightclubs into the late 1970s and toured in a variety show with

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

Anna Maria Alberghetti Anna Maria Alberghetti (; born May 15, 1936) is an Italian-American actress and soprano. Biography Born May 15, 1936, in Pesaro, Marche, in central Italy, she starred on Broadway and won a Tony Award in 1962 as Best Actress (Musical) for '' ...

, and others in 1980."Roberta Sherwood: Torch Singer", ''Los Angeles Times'', July 9, 1999. Sherwood was an occasional actress, appearing in a 1957 TV movie about the early life of George M. Cohan entitled "Mr. Broadway," in which she co-starred with

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

, James Dunn, Gloria DeHaven and

June Havoc June Havoc (born Ellen Evangeline Hovick; November 8, 1912 – March 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actress, dancer, stage director and memoirist. Havoc was a child vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother Rose Thompson Hovick, ...

, sporadically in the 1960s (including as the housekeeper in '' The Courtship of Eddie's Father''), and as late as 1978 had a bit part in an episode of ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' playing "Mrs. Waverly" in an episode titled "Earthquakes Happen".

Honors

She received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Film Welfare League in 1985.

Last years

She continued performing in the Los Angeles area well into the early 1990s and recorded a final album, "The Tribute Collection", in 1992, produced by her son Don. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

Family

Her husband Don, who never made a complete recovery from his cancer, died in 1960. The couple had three sons, Don, Robert and Jerry Lanning, who all appeared with her in memorable episodes of ''

The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to '' I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distin ...

'' and ''

''. A retrospective CD of her first two Decca albums is currently available o
Sepia Records.
Her son, Robert, also known as Bob Lanning, became a Los Angeles session drummer; but he is best known for his work with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

as his drummer during Presley's 1970 engagement at the

International Hotel International Hotel may refer to: * International Hotel (Alanya, Turkey), a historical hotel building * International Hotel (San Francisco), a residential hotel, historic building and community center in San Francisco, California * International ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. Lanning played on Presley's 1970 live album, '' On Stage'', including Presley's hit single " The Wonder of You" as well as album favorites "

See See Rider "See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Par ...

", " Release Me", " Sweet Caroline", " Polk Salad Annie", " Proud Mary", "

Walk a Mile in My Shoes "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" is a song written by Joe South, who had a hit with it in 1970. South was also producer and arranger of the track and of its B-side, "Shelter." The single was credited to "Joe South and the Believers"; the Believers includ ...

", and " Let It Be Me". Lanning also accompanied Elvis on drums during Presley's six attendance-record–breaking concert appearances at the

Houston Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houst ...

in 1970.''Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley'', Peter Guralnick, Back Bay Books, 2000, p. 364 By August 1970, Lanning was replaced on drums in Elvis's rhythm section by Ron Tutt. One of her other sons, Jerry Lanning, become an actor known for both his stage and TV work, appearing early on as a singer of cowboy songs on the ''Donna Reed Show'' episode called "Big Star" and as young rock and roll singer Randy Twizzle in the episode "The Twizzle" on ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

''. He also had roles on soap operas such as ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'', '' Search for Tomorrow'' and ''

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

''.

Albums

*''Introducing Roberta Sherwood'' 1956 (Decca) *''Show Stoppers'' 1957 (Decca) *''I Gotta Right to Sing'' 1957 (Decca) *''Country Songs for City People'' 1959 (Decca) *''Look for the Silver Lining'' 1959 (Decca) *''Clap Your Hands'' 1959 (Decca) *''Get Away From Those Swingin' Doors'' – 1960 (Decca) *''Live Performance'' – 1961 live album (Decca) *''My Golden Favorites'' – 1961 (Decca) *''You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You'' – 1963 (Decca) *''Gone Gospel'' (also issued as ''Gospel Goes Pop'') – 1963 (ABC-Paramount) *''On Stage'' – 1963 live album (Harmon) *''Fly Me to the Moon'' (with Marilyn Maxwell) – 1964 (Design)Design Records discography
/ref> *''The Country Sound – With Soul'' – 1964 (ABC-Paramount) *''Songs Everybody Knows'' – 1964 (Decca) *''You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You'' – 1965 (Decca) *''Hamp's Portrait of a Woman'' (1966,

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

; Sherwood is featured on two tracks) – (Glad-Hamp) *''This Good Life'' – 1971 (King) *''I Left My Heart in San Francisco'' (with Jacki Fontaine) – (International Award)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherwood, Roberta Torch singers 1913 births 1999 deaths Vaudeville performers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American singers Nightclub performers 20th-century American women singers Musicians from St. Louis Singers from Missouri