Bea Wain

Born in New York City on April 30, 1917, Bea Wain studied piano during childhood before making early radio appearances on the NBC series Children's Hour. As a teenager she performed with vocal ensembles fronted by Fred Waring, Kay Thompson, and several others. A period with the Gene Kardos Orchestra preceded her 1937 entry into Larry Clinton & His Orchestra, whose leader had previously arranged for Tommy Dorsey. The following year her warm, engaging voice propelled a run of successes that included “Deep Purple,” “Martha,” “Heart and Soul,” “My Reverie,” and additional titles. That visibility produced a 1939 Billboard poll naming her the year’s most popular female band vocalist. She exited Clinton’s ranks in spring 1939 to launch a solo career whose momentum yielded further hits such as “I’m Nobody’s Baby,” “Do I Worry?,” and “Kiss the Boys Goodbye.” Regular guest spots on Your Hit Parade and Quaker Party led to co-hosting duties, alongside her husband and radio announcer Andre Baruch, on the series Mr. and Mrs. Music; the pair later replicated the format with a comparable program in Palm Beach, Florida, during the 1970s. Their relocation to California in 1980 was followed by a syndicated Beverly Hills broadcast that revived Your Hit Parade throughout the ensuing decade. After Andre Baruch’s death in 1991, Bea Wain maintained live performances into her nineties. She passed her final years at an assisted-living facility in Beverly Hills and died on August 19, 2017, four months after turning 100.