Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Raymond Eberle was born on January 19, 1919 in Mechanicville, Saratoga County, New York. He started singing in his teens without formal training. In 1938 while looking for a male vocalist for his big band asked Bob Eberly if he had any siblings at home who could sing and his brother was hired on the spot.

Eberle went on to find success with Miller, deeming the songs for the film Orchestra Wives, such as the jazz standard “At Last”, to be among his favorites, as they were songs he could make a story out of. During the Forties he appeared in Twentieth Century Fox movies, and several Universal Studios films, singing mostly ballads.

He led his own orchestra, The Ray Eberle Orchestra, as well as the Serenade In Blue Orchestra from 1943. In the 1950s and 1960s.he also appeared on numerous television variety shows.  He maintained his band until his death.

After his departure from Miller, Eberle briefly joined Gene Krupa’s band before launching a solo career. He later joined former Miller bandmate Tex Beneke’s orchestra in 1970 for a national tour, and reformed his own orchestra later in the decade.

Vocalist Ray Eberle died of a heart attack in Douglasville, Georgia on August 25, 1979, aged 60.

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