Diane Renay
Encyclopedia
Diane Renay born Renee Diane Kushner, is an American pop
singer, best known for her 1964 hit song, "Navy Blue
".
, Pennsylvania
. She started singing at an early age and took voice
lessons from Artie Singer, a voice teacher who also managed
Danny and the Juniors (of "At the Hop
" fame). Singer encouraged Renay to pursue a recording
career. Renay attended Northeast High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
.
Record producer
/songwriter
, Pete DeAngelis was a frequent customer at the Kushners' family jewelry store, and Renay's parents arranged for her to audition for him. DeAngelis, impressed with her talents, got Renay signed to the Atco Records
label
. Under the new stage name Diane Renay, she released her first single
, "Little White Lies
", in 1962, but it failed to chart
nationally, as did the follow-up, "Tender", and Atco dropped her from the label.
However, Bob Crewe
, who had written
and produced
material for Renay's second recording session, then signed her to a new recording contract
whereby he would write and produce records for her. Under Crewe's guidance and signed to the 20th Century label, Renay, then 17 years old, released her biggest hit, "Navy Blue", in late 1963. The song told the story of a girl who was lonely for her steady boyfriend while he was away from home in the U.S. Navy
and could hardly wait to see him again. "Navy Blue", which was composed by Crewe with Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau
, became a national smash, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100
in February 1964, and soaring to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary
singles chart. The song was followed by Renay's debut album
, also titled Navy Blue.
Renay's only other single release to crack the national Billboard chart was "Kiss Me Sailor", which reached number 29 later in 1964. Subsequent singles, including "Growin' Up Too Fast", "Watch Out Sally", "It's In Your Hands", and "Happy Birthday Broken Heart", were hits in certain local markets such as Salt Lake City, Las Vegas
and Miami, but failed to break nationally. Renay moved to the Fontana
label in 1969 and attempted a comeback with covers
of "Yesterday
" and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
", but these also failed to chart. She did not record again until the early 1980s.
Renay remains active as a performer today and recently released Diane Renay Sings Some Things Old and Some Things New, a double-CD
compilation album
of her work (including many previously unreleased tracks) from the 1960s through the 1990s.
collection of stories about the 1960s, Hearts In Atlantis
, a reference to Diane Renay is found in the titular novella. In this story, her album, Diane Renay Sings Navy Blue, is owned by Nathan Hoppenstand, a student at the University of Maine in 1966. A few references to the song are found elsewhere in the text, as Peter Riley muses about the father of her girlfriend Carol Gerber, "After all, her father was a steady boy who said 'Ship Ahoy' and joined the Nay-yay-vee."
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer, best known for her 1964 hit song, "Navy Blue
Navy Blue (song)
"Navy Blue" is the name of a song written by Bob Crewe, Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau. The song tells the story of a girl who was lonely for her steady boyfriend while he was away from home in the U.S...
".
Career
Renay was born to a Jewish family in South PhiladelphiaSouth Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. She started singing at an early age and took voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
lessons from Artie Singer, a voice teacher who also managed
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
Danny and the Juniors (of "At the Hop
At the Hop
"At the Hop" is a hit rock 'n' roll song written by Arthur Singer, John Medora and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957, and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, thus becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958...
" fame). Singer encouraged Renay to pursue a recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
career. Renay attended Northeast High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Northeast High School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Northeast High School is a high school located at 1601 Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
Record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, Pete DeAngelis was a frequent customer at the Kushners' family jewelry store, and Renay's parents arranged for her to audition for him. DeAngelis, impressed with her talents, got Renay signed to the Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Under the new stage name Diane Renay, she released her first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Little White Lies
Little White Lies
"Little White Lies" is a popular song.It was written by Walter Donaldson. The song was published in 1930. It was recorded on July 25, 1930 by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians with vocal by Clare Hanlon and The Waring Girls...
", in 1962, but it failed to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
nationally, as did the follow-up, "Tender", and Atco dropped her from the label.
However, Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe
Bob Crewe is an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist. He is known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons...
, who had written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
material for Renay's second recording session, then signed her to a new recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
whereby he would write and produce records for her. Under Crewe's guidance and signed to the 20th Century label, Renay, then 17 years old, released her biggest hit, "Navy Blue", in late 1963. The song told the story of a girl who was lonely for her steady boyfriend while he was away from home in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and could hardly wait to see him again. "Navy Blue", which was composed by Crewe with Bud Rehak and Eddie Rambeau
Eddie Rambeau
Eddie Rambeau is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.-Career:While performing in a high-school musical he had written, Rambeau met songwriter and musician Bud Rehak, who went on to become his manager...
, became a national smash, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in February 1964, and soaring to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
singles chart. The song was followed by Renay's debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, also titled Navy Blue.
Renay's only other single release to crack the national Billboard chart was "Kiss Me Sailor", which reached number 29 later in 1964. Subsequent singles, including "Growin' Up Too Fast", "Watch Out Sally", "It's In Your Hands", and "Happy Birthday Broken Heart", were hits in certain local markets such as Salt Lake City, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and Miami, but failed to break nationally. Renay moved to the Fontana
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
label in 1969 and attempted a comeback with covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" and "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" was released as single from Gloria Estefan's fourth solo-credited studio album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.-Formats and track listings:Europe CD Maxi Single ...
", but these also failed to chart. She did not record again until the early 1980s.
Renay remains active as a performer today and recently released Diane Renay Sings Some Things Old and Some Things New, a double-CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of her work (including many previously unreleased tracks) from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Popular culture
In the Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
collection of stories about the 1960s, Hearts In Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of two novellas and three short stories by Stephen King, all connected to one another by recurring characters and taking place in roughly chronological order....
, a reference to Diane Renay is found in the titular novella. In this story, her album, Diane Renay Sings Navy Blue, is owned by Nathan Hoppenstand, a student at the University of Maine in 1966. A few references to the song are found elsewhere in the text, as Peter Riley muses about the father of her girlfriend Carol Gerber, "After all, her father was a steady boy who said 'Ship Ahoy' and joined the Nay-yay-vee."