Roy Landman (March 27, 1914 – July 2, 1990),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 159. better known as Snooky Lanson, was an American singer known for co-starring on the NBC TV show, '' Your Hit Parade''.

Life

Born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, Lanson was a band singer with Francis Craig's dance band in the late 1930s. He became a singing star when major bandleader Ray Noble hired him as his orchestra's "boy singer"; Noble and Lanson appear together in three Soundies musical films produced in 1941. Lanson made additional Soundies as a solo artist in 1944. On radio, Lanson was featured on '' Appointment with Music'',Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 26. ''The Saturday Showcase'', and ''Sunday Night Serenade''. NBC's popular ''Your Hit Parade'' radio programs featured

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, who left the series in 1950. Snooky Lanson was chosen to replace him, and Lanson became one of America's first TV stars when ''Your Hit Parade'' came to television in July 1950.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 1209. Lanson remained with the series through 1957. Floor manager (and future children's television host) Fred Rogers said that Lanson often played craps behind the set with the stagehands until it was his turn to perform. In 1956, Lanson starred in ''The Snooky Lanson Show'', a variety program on NBC-TV. After ''Hit Parade'' ended, he performed in nightclubs and on local television shows in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and Shreveport, Louisiana. He guest-starred in 1958 on '' The Gisele MacKenzie Show'', MacKenzie having been a co-star with Lanson on ''Hit Parade''. In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts on the NBC-TV program ''

Five Star Jubilee ''Five Star Jubilee'' is an American country music variety show carried by National Broadcasting Company, NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ABC-TV's ''Ozark Jubilee, Jubilee USA'', wa ...

''. In January 1960, Crossroads TV Productions videotaped a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

for a proposed pop music-variety series called ''Snooky Lanson Time.'' Guests were

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...

, the

Anita Kerr Anita Jean Kerr (''née'' Grilli; October 13, 1927 – October 10, 2022) was an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and ...

Singers, Betty Ann Grove and Paul Mitchell's instrumental combo."Plan New TV Series for Lanson" (January 25, 1960), '' The Billboard'', p. 12 From 1967 on he lived in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where he sang at tea dances and similar functions, had a syndicated radio show that played big-band music, and sold cars and outdoor advertising. He later reunited with several of his ''Your Hit Parade'' co-stars on '' Family Feud'', as part of a 1983 celebrity week saluting "TV's All-Time Favorites". Lanson died in 1990 at age 76 in New York. He was survived by his widow, Florence, a daughter, two sons, and eight grandchildren.

Notes

References

*"Plan New TV Series for Lanson" (January 25, 1960), '' The Billboard'', p. 12

External links

*
''New York Times'' obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanson, Snooky 1914 births 1990 deaths Big band singers American television personalities American male pop singers Bell Records artists Starday Records artists Tennessee Records artists Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male jazz musicians