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Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio on March 30, 1913, is one of the most successful American singers of the twentieth century. Often billed as America's Number One Song Stylist, his other nicknames include Mr. Rhythm, Old Leather Lungs, and Old Man Jazz. A clarion voiced pop singer with lots of style, able to fill halls without a microphone, and one of the biggest hit-makers of late 1940s/early 1950s, Laine had more than 70 charted records, 21 gold records, and worldwide sales of over 250 million disks *. Originally a rhythm and blues influenced jazz singer, Laine excelled at virtually every music style, eventually expanding to such varied genres as popular standards, gospel, folk, country, western/Americana, rock 'n' roll, and the occasional novelty number. He is known as Mr Rhythm for his driving jazzy style. Laine was the first and biggest of a new breed of black-influenced singers who rose to prominence in the post-WWII era. This new, raw, emotionally charged style seemed at the time to signal the end of the previous era's singing styles; and was, indeed, a harbinger of the rock 'n' roll music that was to come. As music historian Jonny Whiteside wrote: In the Hollywood clubs, a new breed of black-influenced white performers laid down a baffling hip array of new sounds ... Most important of all these, though, was Frankie Laine, a big white lad with 'steel tonsils' who belted out torch blues while stomping his size twelve foot in joints like Billy Berg's, Club Hangover and the Bandbox. ... Laine's intense vocal style owed nothing to Crosby, Sinatra or Dick Haymes. Instead he drew from Billy Eckstine, Joe Turner, Jimmy Rushing, and with it Laine had sown the seeds from which an entire new perception and audience would grow. ... Frank Sinatra represented perhaps the highest flowering of a quarter century tradition of crooning but suddenly found himself an anachronism. First Frankie Laine, then Tony Bennett, and now Johnnie (Ray), dubbed 'the Belters' and 'the Exciters,' came along with a brash vibrance and vulgar beat that made the old bandstand routine which Frank meticulously perfected seem almost invalid. As Jazz critic Richard Grudens wrote: Frank's style was very innovative, which was why he had such difficulty with early acceptance. He would bend notes and sing about the chordal context of a note rather than to sing the note directly, and he stressed each rhythmic downbeat, which was different from the smooth balladeer of his time. His 1946 recording of "That's My Desire" remains a landmark record signalling the end of both the dominance of the big bands and the crooning styles favored by contemporaries Dick Haymes and Frank Sinatra. Often called the first of the blue-eyed soul singers, Laine's style cleared the way for many artists who arose in the late 40s and early 50s, including Kay Starr, Tony Bennett, Johnnie Ray and Elvis Presley (who was initially described by critics as "a cross between Johnnie Ray and Frankie Laine"). I think that Frank probably was one of the forerunner of .... blues, of .... rock 'n' roll. A lot of singers who sing with a passionate demeanor -- Frank was and is definitely that. I always used to love to mimic him with 'That's...my...desire.' And then later Johnnie Ray came along that made all of those kind of movements, but Frank had already done them. -- Patti Page Throughout the 1950s, Laine enjoyed a second career singing the title songs over the opening credits of Hollywood films and television shows, including: Gunfight At OK Corral, 3:10 To Yuma, Bullwhip and Rawhide. His rendition of the title song for Mel Brooks' 1974 hit movie Blazing Saddles won an Oscar nomination for Best Song, and on television, Laine's featured recording of Rawhide for the series of the same name and it became a popular theme song. You can't categorize him. He's one of those singers that's not in one track. And yet and still I think that his records had more excitement and life into it. And I think that was his big selling point, that he was so full of energy. You know when hear his records it was dynamite energy.-- Herb Jeffries
Early years
"Thats My Desire" Even after Carmichael's discovering him, Laine still was considered to be only an intermission act at Billy Berg's. His next big break came when he dusted off a fifteen-year old song that few people remembered in 1946: "That's My Desire." Frankie had picked up the song from songstress June Hart a half a dozen years earlier, when he sang at the College Inn in Cleveland. He introduced "Desire" as a "new" song -- meaning new to his repertoire at Berg's -- but the audience mistook it for a new song that had just been written. He ended up singing it five times that night. After that, Frankie Laine quickly became the star attraction at Berg's, and the record company executives took note. He was soon recording for the fledgling Mercury label, and "That's My Desire" was one of the songs cut in his first recording session there. It quickly took the number one spot on the R&B charts, where Laine was initially mistaken for being black; and made it to the "Desire" became Frankie Laine's first Gold Record, and established him as a force in the music world. A series of hit singles quickly followed, including "Black and Blue," "Mam'selle," "Two Loves Have I," "Shine," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Monday Again," and many others. At Mercury Frankie Laine's name was synonymous with jazz in the late 40's when, accompanied by Carl Fischer (with whom he wrote the great standard "We'll Be Together Again") and some of the best jazz men in the business, he was swinging standards like "By the River Sainte Marie," "Black and Blue," "Rockin' Chair," "West End Blues" "At the End of the Road," "Ain't That Just Like a Woman," "That Ain't Right," "Exactly Like You," and "Sleepy Ol' River" on the Mercury label. But Laine had his greatest success after impresario Mitch Miller, who became the A&R man at Mercury in 1948, recognized a universal quality in Laine's voice which he began to exploit via a succession of chart-topping popular songs often with a folk or western flavor. Laine and Miller became a formidable hit-making team who, . Their first collaboration, "That Lucky Old Sun" became the number one song in the country three weeks after its release. It was also Laine's fifth Gold Record. The song was knocked down to the number two position by Laine and Miller's second collaboration, "Mule Train" which proved to be an even bigger hit, making Frankie Laine the first artist to ever simultaneously hold the Number One and Two positions on the charts.) "Mule Train", with its whip cracks and echo, has been cited as the first song to utilize an "aural texture" that "set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock." (Will Friedwald, Sinatra! The Song Is You, Da Capo Press, 1997.) Other Laine/Miller Mercury hits included "Shine," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Mam'selle," "Two Loves Have I," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "All of Me," "Georgia on My Mind," "Blue Turning Grey Over You," "The Stars and Stripes Forever," "Nevertheless" "The Cry of the Wild Goose," "Swamp Girl," "Satan Wears a Satin Gown," and "Music, Maestro Please". He was my kind of guy. He was very dramatic in his singing ... and you must remember that in those days there were no videos so you had to depend on the image that the record made in the listener's ears. And that's why many fine artists were not good record sellers. For instance, Lena Horne. Fabulous artist but she never sold many records till that last album of hers. But she would always sell out the house no matter where she was. And there were others who sold a lot of records but couldn't get to first base in personal appearances, but Frankie had it both. -- Mitch Miller But the biggest label of all was Columbia Records, and in 1950 Mitch Miller left Mercury to embark upon his phenomenally successful career as the A&R man there. Laine's contract at Mercury would be up for renewal the following year, and Miller soon brought Laine to Columbia as well. Laine's contract with Columbia was the most lucrative in the industry until RCA bought Elvis Presley's contract five years later. At Columbia
Social Activism Along with opening the door for many R&B performers, Laine played a significant role in the equal rights movements of the 1950s and 60s. When Nat King Cole's television show was unable to get a sponsor, Laine crossed the color line, becoming the first white artist to appear as a guest (foregoing his usual salary of $10,000.00 as Cole's show only paid scale). Many other top white singers followed suit, including Tony Bennett and Rosemary Clooney, but Cole's show still couldn't get enough sponsors to continue. In the following decade, Frankie Laine joined several African American artists who gave a free concert for Martin Luther King's supporters during their Selma to Montgomery marches on Washington DC. Laine has also been active in many charities as well, including Meals on Wheels and The Salvation Army. Among his charitable works are a series of local benefit concerts and his having organized a nationwide drive to provide "Shoes for the Homeless." Frankie Laine, who had a strong liking to African-American music, went so far as to include recording at least two songs that have being black as their subject matter, "Shine" and Fats Waller's "Black and Blue". Film and Television
At Capitol, ABC, and Beyond
Later years
Marriages His first marriage was to actress Nan Grey (June 1950 - July 1993) and Laine adopted her daughters from a previous marriage, Pam and Jan. Following a three year engagement to Anita Craighead, he married Marcia Ann Kline in June 1999. Frankie Laine Today Although Frankie Laine lives in semi-retirement in the Point Loma area of San Diego, California, he still continues to perform. In 2005 he appeared in the PBS My Music special despite a recent stroke. Samples Major Long Play Records 1940s (1944) That's Liberty, In The Wee Small Hours (1945) Baby Baby All The Time, Heartaches, I'm Confessin', Coquette, Melancholy Madeline (with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers), Maureen (with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Someday Sweetheart (1946) Ain’t That Just Like A Woman, Black And Blue, Blue Turning Grey Over You, By The River Sainte Marie, I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me, I May Be Wrong, It Ain’t Gonne Be Like That, Moonlight In Vermont, Oh! Lady Be Good, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Pickle In The Middle (Artie Auerbach vocal, as "Mister Kitzel" -- Frankie can be heard in the background as a peanut vendor), Roses Of Picardy, September In The Rain, Sometimes I'm Happy, Sposin', Texas And Pacific, That’s My Desire, West End Blues, Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams, You Can Depend On Me, You've Changed (1947) Ah But It Happens, All Of Me, Baby Don't Be Mad At Me, But Beautiful, By The Light Of The Stars, Cherie I Love You, The Day Isn't Long Enough, Hold Me, I Haven't The Heart, Here Comes The Night (recording lost), Inspiration Point, It Only Happens Once, I've Only Myself To Blame, Kiss Me Again, Mam’selle, May I Never Love Again, Nevertheless, Old Fashioned Love, Our Dream, Put 'Em In A Box, Put Yourself In My Place Baby, Shine, Singing The Blues, Stay As Sweet As You Are, A Sunday Kind Of Love, Thanks For You, That Ain't Right, Till We Meet Again, Two Loves Have I, We’ll Be Together Again, When You're Smiling, Who Cares What People Say, With All My Heart, Yes My Dear (1948) Come Love With Me, Don't Have To Tell Nobody, I Wish You Were Jealous Of Me, I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover, Monday Again, Rosetta, Tara Talara Tala, What Could Be Sweeter?, You're All I Want For Christmas (1949) At The End Of The Road, Baby I Need You, Baby Just For Me, Bebop Spoken Here, Carry Me Back To Old Virginney, Don't Cry Little Children, Don't Do Something to Someone Else, Exactly Like You, Georgia On My Mind, Give Me A Kiss For Tomorrow, God Bless The Child, I Get Sentimental Over Nothing, Mule Train, My One My Only My All, Now That I Need You, Rockin’ Chair, Satan Wears A Satin Gown, Swamp Girl, Sweet Talk, That Lucky Old Sun, You're Just The Kind, You're Wonderful 1950s (1950 Black Lace, The Cry Of The Wild Goose, The Day Isn't Long Enough, Dear Dear Dear, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, I Love You For That (with Patti Page), I Was Dancing With Someone, If I Were A Bell, If I Were You Baby (with Patti Page), I'm Gonna Live Till I Die, I'm In The Mood For Love, The Jalopy Song, A Man Gets Awfully Lonesome, May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You, Merry Christmas Everywhere, Music Maestro Please, Sleepy Ol' River, Stars And Stripes Forever, Thanks For Your Kisses, What Am I Gonna Do This Christmas? (1951) Ain't Misbehavin', Flamenco, Gambella (The Gamblin' Lady) (with Jo Stafford), The Gang That Sang Heart Of My Heart, Get Happy, The Girl In The Wood, Hey Good Lookin' (with Jo Stafford), I Would Do Most Anything For You, In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening, The Isle Of Capri, Jealousy (Jalousie), Jezebel, Love Is Such A Cheat, Metro Polka, Necessary Evil, One For My Baby, Pretty-Eyed Baby (with Jo Stafford), Rose Rose I Love You, She Reminds Me Of You, Song Of The Islands, South Of The Border, That's Good! That's Bad! (with Jo Stafford), That's How Rhythm Was Born, That's The One For Me (with Jo Stafford), To Be Worthty Of You, Tomorrow Mountain, What Could Be Sweeter?, When It’s Sleepy Time Down South, Wonderful Wasn't It?, Yes My Dear, You Left Me Out In The Rain (1952) Chow Willy (with Jo Stafford), Christmas Roses (with Jo Stafford), The Gandy Dancer's Ball, Hambone (with Jo Stafford), High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me), How Lovely Cooks The Meat (with Doris Day), I'd Give My Life, I'm Just A Poor Bachelor, Let's Have A Party (with Jo Stafford), The Mermaid, My Ohio Home, Piece A-Puddin' (with Jo Stafford), Ramblin' Man, The Rock Of Gibraltar, The Ruby And The Pearl, Settin' The Woods On Fire (with Jo Stafford), She's Funny That Way, Snow In Lovers Lane, Sugarbush (with Doris Day), Swan Song, Snow In Lovers Lane, That's How It Goes, There's A Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder, Tonight You Belong To Me, When You're In Love (1953) Ace In The Hole, After You've Gone (vocal duet with Carl Fischer), Answer Me My Love, Answer Me O' Lord, Basin Street Blues (with Jo Stafford), Blowing Wild (The Ballad Of Black Gold), A Bushel And A Peck (with Jo Stafford), Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans, Drill Ye Tarriers, Floatin' Down To Cotton Town (with Jo Stafford), Goin' Like Wildfire (with Jo Stafford), Granada, Hey Joe!, A Hundred Years From Today, I Believe, I Let Her Go, Judy, The Kid's Last Fight, Laughing At Life, Let's Go Fishin' (with Jimmy Boyd), The Little Boy And The Old Man (with Jimmy Boyd), Long Distance Love, Lorelei, The Lord Don't Treat His Chillun That Way, Lullaby In Rhythm, New Orleans, Old Shoes, Poor Little Piggy Bank (with Jimmy Boyd), Rollin' Down The Line (with Jo Stafford), Sittin' In The Sun (Countin' My Money), Some Day, Some Day Sweetheart, Te Amo, Tell Me A Story (with Jimmy Boyd), There Must Be A Reason, Way Down Yonder In New Orleans (with Jo Stafford), Where The Winds Blow, Willow Weep For Me, Your Cheatin' Heart (1954) Ain't It A Pity And A Shame (with The Four Lads), Back Where I Belong (with Jo Stafford), God's Gonna Take The Saints To Heaven (with The Four Lads), High Society (with Jo Stafford), I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I Feel Like My Time Ain't Long (with The Four Lads), I'd Give My Life, In The Beginning, Juba-Juba-Jubalee (with The Four Lads), Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now, Let Me Be Ready Lord (with The Four Lads), My Friend, Out Of Nowhere, Rain Rain Rain (with The Four Lads), Wa-Hoo! (with The Four Lads), What Would I Do? (with The Four Lads), You Are Too Beautiful, Your Heart - My Heart (1955) Baby Baby All The Time (with Buck Clayton), Bring Your Smile Along, Bubbles, Champion The Wonder Horse, Cool Water, Didn't He Moan (with The Four Lads), Hawk-Eye, Hummingbird, I Heard The Angels Singing (with The Four Lads), If Spring Never Comes, If You Were Mine (with Buck Clayton), Make Me A Child Again, Mama Mia, Moby Dick, Mona Lisa, My Little One, Never Come Sunday, Remember Me (with The Four Lads), Robin Hood, Roses Of Picardy (with Buck Clayton), Sixteen Tons, Sposin' (with Buck Clayton), Stars Fell On Alabama (with Buck Clayton), Strange Lady In Town, Taking A Chance On Love (with Buck Clayton), The Tarrier Song, That Old Feeling (with Buck Clayton), The Thief, Tick Ticky Tick (I'M Gonna Tell On You), Until The Real Thing Comes Along (with Buck Clayton), Walking The Night Away, Where Can I Go (with The Four Lads), A Woman In Love, You Can Depend On Me (with Buck Clayton), Your Love (1956) A Capital Ship, Don't Cry, Good Evening Friends (with Johnnie Ray), Hell Hath No Fury, Lonely Man, Lotus Land, Love Is A Golden Ring (with The Easy Riders), Make Me A Child Again, Moonlight Gambler, The Most Happy Fella, On The Road To Mandalay, Only If We Love, There's Not A Moment To Spare, Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In The Air) (with Johnnie Ray), Without Him (1957) Addormentarmi Cosi (with Michel Legrand), All Of These And More, Annabel Lee, Autumn Leaves (with Michel Legrand), Besame Mucho (with Michel Legrand), (What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue, Blue Turning Grey Over You, By The River Sainte Marie, East Is East, Give Me A Kiss For Tomorrow, The Greater Sin, Gunfight At OK Corral, Jezebel, La Paloma (with Michel Legrand), Laura (with Michel Legrand), The Lonesome Road, Mam'selle (with Michel Legrand), My Gal And A Prayer, Nao Tem Solucao (with Michel Legrand), On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Quiereme Mucho (Yours) (with Michel Legrand), Rockin' Chair, Shine, Si Tu Partais (with Michel Legrand), That Ain't Right, That Lucky Old Sun, That's My Desire, The 3:10 To Yuma, Too Young (with Michel Legrand), Torna A Sorrento (with Michel Legrand), Uh-Huh Oh Yeah, We'll Be Together Again, West End Blues, You Know How It Is (1958) Baby Just For Me (with Michel Legrand), Because, Blue Moon (with Michel Legrand), Body And Soul, Choombala Bey, A Cottage For Sale, Dream A Little Dream Of Me (with Michel Legrand), El Diablo, Forever More, Here Lies Love, I Cover The Waterfront, I Forget The Time (with Michel Legrand), I Get Along Without You Very Well, I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good), I Have To Cry, I Married An Angel, I Would Do Anything For You (with Michel Legrand), I'll Get By, I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) (with Michel Legrand), In My Wildest Dreams, It Only Happens Once, It's The Talk Of The Town, Journey's End, A Kiss Can Change The World, The Love Of Loves (with Michel Legrand), Lover Come Back To Me (with Michel Legrand), Lovin' Up A Storm, Magnificent Obsession, Marie (with Michel Legrand), Midnight On A Rainy Monday, Mona Lisa (with Michel Legrand), My Kind Of Woman, My Little Love, Rawhide, Second Honeymoon, September In The Rain (with Michel Legrand), Side By Side, That's My Desire, These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You), To My Wife, Too Marvelous For Words (with Michel Legrand), Torchin', The Touch Of Your Lips, Try A Little Tenderness, The Valley Of A Hundred Hills, We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye, When I Speak Your Name, You Are My Love, You're Just The Kind (with Michel Legrand), You've Changed (1959) And Doesn’t She Roll, Careless Love, Cherry Red, Jelly Coal Man, Kisses That Shake The World, Lucy D, New Orleans, Old Blue, Old Virginny, On A Monday, Rockin' Mother, Rocks And Gravel, Sixteen Tons, Stack Of Blues 1960s (1960) Along The Navajo Trail, Bowie Knife, City Boy, Cool Water, Cry Of The Wild Goose, Et Voila, God Bless This House, Gunfight At The O.K. Corral, The Hanging Tree, Here She Comes Now, High Noon, Mule Train, Rawhide, Sampson, Seven Women, St. James Infirmary, The 3:10 To Yuma, Wanted Man, You're All I Want For Christmas (1961) Ace In The Hole, Camptown Races, Cow-Cow Boogie, Dead Man’s Hand, Deuces Wild, Gamblin’ Woman, Get Rich Quick, The Green Leaves Of Summer, Gunslinger, The Hard Way, Horses And Women, Luck Be A Lady, The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo, Miss Satan, Moonlight Gambler, Ride Through The Night, The Roving Gambler, Wheel Of Fortune (1962) Beyond The Blue Horizon, Call Of The Wild, If I Love Again, The Girl In The Wood, De Glory Road, The High Road, I Let Her Go, I'm Gonna Live 'Til I Die, Live Along With Me (Get With It), Love Is Where You Find It, Misirlou, The Moment Of Truth, The New Frontier, North To Alaska, On The Road To Mandalay, On The Trail, Riders In The Sky, Rolling Stone, Serenade, Song Of The Open Road, Swamp Girl, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Wagon Wheels, The Wayfaring Stranger, A Wedded Man, We'll Be Together Again, What Kind Of Fool Am I? (1963) Die Welt War Niemals So Schon, Don’t Make Me Baby Blue, Hey There Mountain (unissued/lost), Ich Lass Dich Gehn, I'm Gonna Be Strong, No La Hagas Sufrir, No Sabras Mi Dolor, Non Farla Piangere, Prairie Belle, Saro Forte, Take Her, Up Among The Stars (1964) Che Me Ne Importa...A Me, For Your Love I'd Wait A Lifetime, A Girl, Go On With Your Dancing, Halfway, House Of Laughter, Lonely Days Of Winter, Tangolita (1965) Answer Me, Come Sunday, He, The Green Leaves Of Summer, Heartaches Can Be Fun, He'll Guide My Way, I Believe, May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You, My Friend, O Bless This House, Seven Days Of Love, The Sound Of Silence, Teach Me To Pray (1966) Johnny Willow, The Meaning Of It All, Pray And He Will Answer You, What Do You Know (1967) Ev'ry Street's A Boulevard, Give Me Your Kisses I'll Give You My Heart, The Gypsy, Heartless One, I Heard You Cry Last Night, I Wish You Were Jealous Of Me, If I Didn't Care, I'll Take Care Of Your Cares, I'm Free, Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got), Making Memories, Maybe, The Moment Of Truth, The Real Meaning Of Love, Sometimes I Just Can't Stand You, Somewhere There's Someone, There's Not A Moment To Spare, What Do You Do With An Old Song, You - No One But You, You Taught Me How To Love You Now Teach Me To Forget, You Wanted Someone To Play With, You're Breaking My Heart (1968) By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Cold Cold Heart, Forsaking All Others, Gentle On My Mind, The Green Green Grass Of Home, Halfway, Honey, I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire, I Found You, I Need You, I Wish I Had Someone Like You, I'm Happy To Hear You're Sorry, It Didn't Mean A Thing To Me, I've Got A Right To Cry, Laughing On The Outside Crying On The Inside, Little Green Apples, Please Forgive Me, Pretty Little Princess, Silver Kisses And Golden Love, Take Me Back, To Each His Own, The Wayward Wind, What A Wonderful World, Where Does Love Go, You Always Hurt The One You Love (1969) Allegra, Born To Be With You, Dammit Isn't God's Last Name, Don't Make Promises, Fresh Out Of Tears, A Place In The Shade, The Secret Of Happiness, Sing An Italian Song, The Story Of My Life, Walk On Out Of My Life, You Gave Me A Mountain 1970s (1970) Rockin' remakes of: Don't Make My Baby Blue, I Believe, Jealousy, Jezebel, Moonlight Gambler, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Shine, That Lucky Old Sun, That's My Desire, Your Cheatin' Heart (1971) A Brand New Day, Don't Blame The Child, California Bloodlines, Going To Newport, Mr. Bojangles, My God And I, Po' Folks, Proud Mary, Put Your Hand In The Hand, Talk About The Good Times (1972) Can You Hear Me Lord, My Own True Love, Time To Ride (1974) Blazing Saddles (1976) Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Talk To Me About The Hard Times (1977) Cool Water, The Cry Of The Wild Goose, Georgia On My Mind, High Noon, I Believe, Jealousy, Jezebel, The Kid's Last Fight, Memories In Gold, Moonlight Gambler, Mule Train, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Rawhide, Shine, That Lucky Old Sun, That's My Desire, We'll Be Together Again, A Woman In Love, You Gave Me A Mountain, Your Cheatin' Heart (1978) End Of Session Blues, Evergreen, Forgetting Someone, I Don't Feel Like Singing Anymore, If I Never Sing Another Song, It's Gonna Happen, Hey! Hey! Jesus, Life Is Beautiful, The Only Thing That Matters, Nan, Nobody But You, Send In The Clowns, Sunday Morning Coming Down 1980s (1982) Answer Me, Cool Water, Cry Of The Wild Goose, Don't Fence Me In, Granada, High Noon, Hummingbird, I Believe, Jealousy, Jezebel, Moonlight Gambler, Mule Train, Rain Rain Rain, Rawhide, Rose Rose I Love You, Sixteen Tons, Strange Lady In Town, There Must Be A Reason, Wheel Of Fortune, A Woman In Love (1984) Love Rustler, Take Me Back To L.A., Texas, We'll Be Together Again (1985) The Lady Digs Jazz, San Diego Lovely Lady By The Sea, Strike Up The Band For San Diego (1986) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, The Green Green Grass Of Home, I Believe In You, Jambalaya, Let Me Learn To Dream Of You, Old Dogs Children And Watermelon Wine, One More Time, Over, She Never Could Dance, When Will I Be Loved (1987) Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (with Erich Kunzel and The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra), High Noon (with Erich Kunzel and The Cincinnati Pops Orhestra), Old Boston, Old Chicago, Old St. Louis, Merry Christmas Without You, Rawhide (with Erich Kunzel and The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra) (1988) Better To Have Loved, Butterfly, Fallen Angel, Fever, Fly Away, I'd Do It Over Again, Just A Dreamer, Makin' Whoopee, Rose Ellen, Still There's You, Them There Eyes, This Can't Be Love, What Am I Here For 1990s (1991) Don't Cry Cry Baby, Old Enough To Be Your Father (1998) Back In The Game, The Best Of Each Other, Come Back To Me, A Day At A Time, The Good Old Days, Giving Back, How Sweet It Is, I Like To Travel, It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over, Moonglow, Nature Boy, Scarlet Ribbons, Song Of India, Soon I'll Be Following You, Taking Care Of My Soul, That's All, That's How I'd Like To Be Remembered, They Call The Wind Maria, This Time The Dream's On Me, How Do You Keep The Music Playing, Until Now, Wheels Of A Dream, You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, Young At Heart 2000s (2001) The Story of Taps, Taps/My Buddy (2002) After Me, The Best Of Love, Dandelion Wine, From Time To Time, The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened, Heavy Breathing, Here's To The Losers, I Don't Remember, Keep Goin' Back To Joe's, More Love, Old Man Jazz, Too Late Smart, Too Soon Old Too Late Smart, When Joanna Loved Me, When Sunny Gets Blue (2004) Contagious, Contagious (live version), Every Time She Cries, Father Time, A Heart Lies Still, I Go Flyin', If I Could See Into Your Heart, I'll Be Thinking Of You, Jake, Pity The One, She Never Could Dance, Shelter From The Storm, Stars In The Bars Lyrics by Laine It Ain’t Gonna Be Like That (with Mel Torme), It Only Happens Once (words and music by Laine), Put Yourself In My Place (with Hoagy Carmichael), We’ll Be Together Again (with Carl Fischer), Our Dream (words and music), I Haven’t The Heart (with Matt Dennis), I’d Give My Life (with Carl Fischer), What Could Be Sweeter? (with Carl Fischer), Baby, Just For Me (with Carl Fischer), Satan Wears A Satin Gown (with Jacques Wilson and Fred Katz), Don’t Cry Little Children (with Norman Wallace), When You’re In Love (with Carl Fischer), Only If We Love (with Al Lerner), Torchin ( with Al Lerner), The Love Of The Roses (with Carl Fischer), Magnificent Obsession (with Fred Karger), Forever More (with Carl Fischer), You Are My Love (with Carl Fischer), My Little Love (with Carl Eugster), And Doesn’t She Roll (with Jack Wilson and Fred Katz), God Bless This House (with Jack Wilson and Fred Katz), Deuces Wild (with Mike Oatman and Ray Barr), Cow-Cow Boogie (with Don Raye, Gene DePaul and Benny Carter), The High Road (with Margaret Bristol and Leo Kempinski), The Moment of Truth (with Nell Western and Fred Katz), What Am I Here For? (with Duke Ellington), Allegra (with Matt Dennis), Forevermore, End Of Session Blues and Nan. Filmography As Actor Make Believe Ballroom - Columbia, 1949. When You’re Smiling - Columbia, 1950. Sunny Side Of The Street - Columbia, 1951. Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder - Columbia, 1952. Bring Your Smile Along - Columbia, 1955. He Laughed Last - Columbia, 1956. Meet Me In Las Vegas - MGM, 1956. Sang the Title Song Blowing Wild - Warner, 1953. Man Without A Star - Universal, 1955. Strange Lady In Town - Warner, 1955. Gunfight At The OK Corral - Paramount, 1957. The 3:10 To Yuma - Columbia, 1957. Bullwhip - Republic, 1958. Blazing Saddles - Warner/Crossbow, 1974. Included in the Soundtrack The Last Picture Show - sang "Rose, Rose, I Love You," Columbia, 1971. All This and WWII - sang "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," Deluxe, 1976. House Calls - sang "On the Sunny Side of the Street," Universal, 1978. Lemon Popsicle - sang "My Little One," 1978. Going Steady - sang "My Little One," 1980. Raging Bull - sang "That's My Desire," United Artists, 1980. Whore - sang "The Love of Loves," 1991. Chopper - sang "Don't Fence Me In," 2000. Television The Frankie Laine Hour - 1950. The Frankie Laine Show - 1954-5. Frankie Laine Time - 1955-6. Rawhide 1959-66 (sang the theme song) Gunslinger 1961 (sang the theme song) Rango 1967 (sang the theme song) The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo 1979-81 (sang the theme song for the first season) Guest star as actor include Perry Mason - CBS, 1959. Rawhide - CBS, 1960. Bachelor Father - ABC, 1961. Burke's Law - ABC, 1963. Biographies
Video documentary Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer, 2003. Narrated by Lou Rawls. Included are interviews with Patti Page, Kay Starr, Pat Boone, Clint Eastwood, Tom Jones, Howard Keel, Connie Haines, John Williams, Michel Legrand, Mitch Miller, Ringo Starr, Dick Clark, and many others. See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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