"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day: Harry James

Harry James
Taken from the official Harry James website:
Harry Haag James was born in 1916 in Albany, Georgia, in the United States. He learned the trumpet from his father, a circus bandleader. James decided to pursue a professional career in music after winning a state high-school trumpet competition.

Harry began to perform with several dance bands, including that of Ben Pollack's popular group. The flawless, technically outstanding trumpeter played for several years with the Benny Goodman Band before forming his own band in 1939 with a gifted but little known vocalist, Frank Sinatra.

During the golden era of the big bands, Harry recorded a number of hits, including "I've Heard That Song Before," from the motion picture Youth on Parade (1942), "You Made Me Love You" (1941), the number-one instrumental hit "Sleepy Lagoon" (1942), "I Had the Craziest Dream" (1943), "You'll Never Know" and his theme song, "Ciribiribin." His band helped launch the careers of many pop music stars of the World War II era, including Frank Sinatra and Helen Forrest.  Ed. note: Doris Day sang with him on one of the greatest albums ever, "Young Man With a Horn," which was the soundtrack for the movie of the same name.

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Helen Forrest
One of the more popular big band singers of the era, Helen Forrest is a performer that some might not consider a jazz vocalist, but she has the exceptional ability to project lyrics. Forrest used several names early in her career, among them The Blue Lady and Bonnie Blue. She began singing in her brother's band in Washington, D.C., then performed with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole's trio, and Lionel Hampton.

In 1940 she then began to score hits working with the Harry James Orchestra. During the early '40s, she had a string of successes. Later she teamed with Dick Haymes on his radio show and on six duets that were big hits. Forrest cut back her activity in the '50s, then sang with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra led by Sam Donahue in the early '60s. She continued to work on the club circuit in the '70s and '80s, making a new album for Stash in 1983.

I discovered her while watching the Esther Williams/Red Skelton flick "Bathing Beauty," where she is featured singing with Harry James and his Orchestra. Her voice and style is soothing and definitely gives the reminiscence of old time Americana.  Here's the scene (notice both Esther Williams and Helen Forrest gorgeous gowns!).

More info on her career can be found here.

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Billie Holiday
The divine sound of her voice is relaxing to me. When I'm blue, stressed, or just plain pissed off, I just put in some of Billie's music and it takes me back to a sweeter time.

The biography on her official website states:

Billie Holiday's grandfather was one of 17 children of a black Virginia slave and a white Irish plantation owner. Her mother was only 13 when she was born.

The future "Lady Day" first heard the music of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith on a Victrola at Alice Dean's, the Baltimore "house of ill repute" where she ran errands and scrubbed floors as a young girl. She made her singing debut in obscure Harlem nightclubs (borrowing her professional name from screen star Billie Dove), then toured with Count Basie and Artie Shaw before going solo. Benny Goodman dragged the frightened singer to her first studio session. Between 1933 and 1944, she recorded over 200 "sides," but she never received royalties for any of them.

Despite a lack of technical training, Holiday's unique diction, inimitable phrasing and acute dramatic intensity made her the outstanding jazz singer of her day. White gardenias, worn in her hair, became her trademark.

"Singing songs like the 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck," she wrote in her autobiography. "I've lived songs like that." Her own compositions included "God Bless the Child," espousing the virtues of financial independence and "Don't Explain," lament on infidelity.

Billie Holiday, a musical legend still popular today, died an untimely death at the age of 44.

(The "untimely death" that they mention is actually a heroin overdose.)
My favorite song of Billie's is "Easy to Love." But just about any of her songs can make even the worst day brighter. "I've lived songs like that," she wrote. And listening to her singing, I feel like I have, too.

Her official website.

If you'd like desktop wallpapers of any "Va Va Voom" Stars, let me know - they're all made up and ready to go!