Rudy Vallee
July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986
Rudy Vallee was a popular band leader, singer, musician and actor who is, by most accounts, the first of what we would call “crooners.” He became so popular during the ’30s and ’40s that his appearances would stir up an immediate frenzy not seen again until perhaps Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. His mostly female crowds were so loud, he began using a megaphone to sing through the microphones. That megaphone became his trademark. Vallee also acted in several films opposite the likes of Claudette Colbert and Jane Russell. Vallee continued to work well into the ’80s when he actually opened for the Village People on a few occasions. Rudy Vallee died of natural causes at 84 on July 3, 1986.
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