Dick Haymes (September 13, 1916 – March 28, 1980) was one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s.
He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His Irish-born mother, Marguerite Haymes (1894-1987), was a well-known vocal coach and instructor. He became the vocalist in a number of big bands, worked in Hollywood on radio and in many films throughout the forties and fifties.
He never became a United States citizen and avoided military service during World War II by asserting his non-belligerent status as a citizen of Argentina, which was neutral. Years later (1955), this act of his nearly caused his deportation to Argentina on an unrelated technicality in immigration law. During World War II, he was briefly detained at Ellis Island.
Haymes was married six times and had six children. His more notable marriages were to film actresses Joanne Dru (1941-1949), Rita Hayworth (1953-1955) and Fran Jeffries (1958-1964). His daughter Stephanie Haymes was married to Sir Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin
He died in Los Angeles from lung cancer, at the age of 63.
Discography
Original LPs
- Rain Or Shine (1955)
- Moondreams (1957)
- Look at Me Now! (1956 or 1957)
- Richard the Lion-Hearted - Dick Haymes that is! (1960)
LP Compilations
- Dick Haymes (1950s)
- Little White Lies (1958)
- Dick Haymes - Maury Laws Orchestra / Featuring Cy Coleman (1960s)
- Love Letters (1960s)
- Spotlight On -- Dick Haymes Sings Romantic Ballads - Featuring Johnny Kay (1960s)
- Easy (1973)
- Imagination (1982) (also available on CD)
Live LP Albums
- Dick Haymes Comes Home! (1973)
Selected CD compilations
- (1990) Richard the Lion-Hearted - Dick Haymes that is! (1990) re-issue of the vinyl album
- Imagination (1992)
- The Very Best of Dick Haymes, Vol. 1 (1997)
- The Very Best of Dick Haymes, Vol. 2 (1997)
- The Complete Columbia Recordings - with Harry James and Benny Goodman (1998)
- ''Little White Lies: 25 Original Mono Recordings 1942-1050. Living Era. ASV Mono. CD AJA 5387 (2001)
- Christmas Wishes (2002, radio transcriptions)
- Golden Years of Dick Haymes (2003)
- The Complete Capitol Collection (2006)
Filmography
- Dramatic School (1938)
- Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
- Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)
- Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944)
- State Fair (1945)
- Diamond Horseshoe (1945)
- Do You Love Me (1946)
- The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)
- Carnival in Costa Rica (1947)
- Up in Central Park (1948)
- One Touch of Venus (1948)
- St. Benny the Dip (1951)
- Hollywood Fun Festival (1952)
- All Ashore (1953)
- Cruisin' Down the River (1953)
- Betrayal (1974) (TV)
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
Hit records
- "Count Every Star" (1950)
- "Ev'ry Day I Love You" (1948)
- "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" (1947)
- "In My Arms" (1943)
- "It Can't Be Wrong" (1943)
- "It Might As Well Be Spring" (1945)
- "It's Magic" (1948)
- "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (1947)
- "I Wish I Knew" (1945)
- "Laura" (1945)
- "Little White Lies" (1948)
- "Mam'selle" (1947) (bigger hit for Art Lund, also a hit for Frank Sinatra)
- "Maybe It's Because" (1949)
- "Nature Boy" (1948) (bigger hit for Nat King Cole)
- "The Old Master Painter" (1949)
- "Put Your Arms around Me, Honey" (1943)
- "Room Full of Roses" (1949)
- "Roses" (1950)
- "Some sunday morning" (1945) (together with Helen Forrest)
- "That's for Me" (1945)
- "Till the End of Time" (1945) (bigger hit for Perry Como)
- "You Can't Be True, Dear" (1948) (bigger hit for Ken Griffin)
- "You'll Never Know" (1943) (also a hit for Frank Sinatra)
Musical theatre
- Miss Liberty (1951, Dallas Theatre)
Further reading
- Prigozy, Ruth The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies. University Press of Mississippi.
External links
- Dick Haymes at the Internet Movie Database
- Homepage of: 'The Dick Haymes Society'
- Haymes' entry at Solid! - The encyclopedia of big band, lounge, classic jazz and space-age sounds
- Dick Haymes: Hollywood's Balladeer Supreme article by Laura Wagner at Classic Images - Films of the Golden Age (online magazine)
- Obsession - the Fran Jeffries Blog
Reviews of the Biography: The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies by Ruth Prigozy
- About the book from the pages of the publisher University Press Of Mississippi
- 'Stepping Out Of Sinatra's Shadow' Book review article by Will Friedwald in The New York Sun - newspaper on the net.
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Last updated on Sunday June 29, 2008 at 04:05:34 PDT (GMT -0700)
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