Jill Corey
Encyclopedia
Jill Corey is a retired American
traditional pop singer.
Nee
Norma Jean Speranza in Avonmore, Pennsylvania
, about forty miles east of Pittsburgh
, a coal mining community, Corey was the youngest of five children. She began singing as an imitator of Carmen Miranda
at family gatherings and on amateur shows in grade school (never winning any prizes, usually finishing last).
At the age of 13, she began to develop her own style. She won first prize at a talent contest sponsored by the Lions Club, entitling her to sing a song on a local radio
station. This got her invited to have her own program. By the age of 14 she was working seven nights a week, earning $5 a night, with a local orchestra led by Johnny Murphy. By the age of 17 she was a local celebrity talent.
It was suggested she make a tape recording to demonstrate her singing skills to the outside show business world. She made the recording at the home of the only owner of a tape recorder in town, with trains going by in the background and no accompaniment. But the tape came to the attention of Mitch Miller
, who headed the artists & repertory
section at Columbia Records
. He normally received over 100 record demos a week, and this one, with a 17-year-old girl and its train background, would not have been likely to gain his attention.
He telephoned her in Avonmore, and the next morning she flew to New York to be heard by Miller in a more normal studio setting. Miller had Life Magazine send over reporters and photographers, and had her audition with Arthur Godfrey
and Dave Garroway
. The Life photographers reenacted her signing a contract with Columbia, and all this happened in a single day, with her headed back to Avonmore that night.
Both Garroway and Godfrey called her, and it was her choice to pick one; she picked Garroway, who took the name Jill Corey out of a telephone
book. Within six weeks the Life article, with a cover picture and seven pages, came out. Jill Corey became the youngest star ever at the Copacabana
nightclub, and had numerous hit records.
She worked on television in New York with Garroway, Robert Q. Lewis
, and Ed Sullivan
. In 1956 she became a regular on Johnny Carson
's CBS
-network comedy-variety show from California. In addition, she had her own syndicated radio
and television shows, and became the last featured singer on Your Hit Parade
. In 1959 she starred in a feature-length musical film for Columbia Pictures
, Senior Prom (co-produced by Moe Howard
of The Three Stooges).
third baseman
Don Hoak
, with whom she had a daughter, Clare. Hoak died of a heart attack after they had been married eight years. She resumed her career in New York City
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
traditional pop singer.
Nee
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Norma Jean Speranza in Avonmore, Pennsylvania
Avonmore, Pennsylvania
Avonmore is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 820 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Avonmore is located at ....
, about forty miles east of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, a coal mining community, Corey was the youngest of five children. She began singing as an imitator of Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, GCIH was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, Broadway actress and Hollywood film star popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was, by some accounts, the highest-earning woman in the United States and noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie The Gang's...
at family gatherings and on amateur shows in grade school (never winning any prizes, usually finishing last).
At the age of 13, she began to develop her own style. She won first prize at a talent contest sponsored by the Lions Club, entitling her to sing a song on a local radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station. This got her invited to have her own program. By the age of 14 she was working seven nights a week, earning $5 a night, with a local orchestra led by Johnny Murphy. By the age of 17 she was a local celebrity talent.
It was suggested she make a tape recording to demonstrate her singing skills to the outside show business world. She made the recording at the home of the only owner of a tape recorder in town, with trains going by in the background and no accompaniment. But the tape came to the attention of Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
, who headed the artists & repertory
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
section at Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. He normally received over 100 record demos a week, and this one, with a 17-year-old girl and its train background, would not have been likely to gain his attention.
He telephoned her in Avonmore, and the next morning she flew to New York to be heard by Miller in a more normal studio setting. Miller had Life Magazine send over reporters and photographers, and had her audition with Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
and Dave Garroway
Dave Garroway
David Cunningham "Dave" Garroway was the founding host of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing, relaxed, and relaxing style belied a battle with depression that may have contributed to the end of his days as a leading television personality—and, eventually, his life...
. The Life photographers reenacted her signing a contract with Columbia, and all this happened in a single day, with her headed back to Avonmore that night.
Both Garroway and Godfrey called her, and it was her choice to pick one; she picked Garroway, who took the name Jill Corey out of a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
book. Within six weeks the Life article, with a cover picture and seven pages, came out. Jill Corey became the youngest star ever at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
nightclub, and had numerous hit records.
She worked on television in New York with Garroway, Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis
Robert Q. Lewis was an American radio and television personality, game show host, and actor. Lewis added the middle initial "Q." to his name accidentally on the air in 1942, when he responded to a reference to radio comedian F. Chase Taylor's character, Colonel Lemuel Q...
, and Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
. In 1956 she became a regular on Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
's CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-network comedy-variety show from California. In addition, she had her own syndicated radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television shows, and became the last featured singer on Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
. In 1959 she starred in a feature-length musical film for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, Senior Prom (co-produced by Moe Howard
Moe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
of The Three Stooges).
Marriage
She gave up her career to marry Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
, with whom she had a daughter, Clare. Hoak died of a heart attack after they had been married eight years. She resumed her career in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Singles
- Robe of Calvary
- Minneapolis
- Cleo and Meo (with the Four LadsThe Four LadsThe Four Lads is a popular Canadian male singing quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group earned many gold singles and albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember," "Standin' on the Corner," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You," and "Istanbul."The Four Lads makes...
) - Do You Know What Lips Are For? (with the Four LadsThe Four LadsThe Four Lads is a popular Canadian male singing quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group earned many gold singles and albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember," "Standin' on the Corner," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You," and "Istanbul."The Four Lads makes...
) - A Good Night Kiss Is a Good Night's Work (with Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
) - One God
- He Is a Man (with Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
) - Where Are You? (with Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
) - Number One Boy . .
- I'm Not at All in Love
- Edward
- That's All I Need
- Come to Me for Everything
- Look Look
- Ching-Ching-a-Ling
- Nobody's Heart
- Cry Me a River (bigger hit for Julie LondonJulie LondonJulie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
)
- First Love (with Buddy ColeBuddy Cole (musician)Edwin LeMar Cole, known as Buddy Cole , was a jazz pianist and orchestra leader. He played behind a number of pop singers, including Rosemary Clooney, Jill Corey, and The Four Lads, who recorded for Columbia Records.-Biography:Buddy Cole was born in Irving, Illinois, and started his musical career...
) - Wait for Tomorrow (with Buddy ColeBuddy Cole (musician)Edwin LeMar Cole, known as Buddy Cole , was a jazz pianist and orchestra leader. He played behind a number of pop singers, including Rosemary Clooney, Jill Corey, and The Four Lads, who recorded for Columbia Records.-Biography:Buddy Cole was born in Irving, Illinois, and started his musical career...
) - Summer Night
- Your Prayers Are Always Answered
- Let Him Know
- What Am I to Do?
- I Love My Baby
- Egghead
- Let It Be Me
- Make Like a Bunny, Honey
- Love Me to PiecesLove Me to Pieces"Love Me to Pieces" is a popular and country song. It was written by Melvin Endsley and was published in 1957.The song was recorded by a number of country music singers, including Janis Martin, Kitty Wells and Rusty & Doug...
(her biggest hit) - Love
- I Feel Pretty
- How Can I Tell?
- Exactly Like You
- I Told a Lie to My Darlin'
- Give It All You've Got
- Uh Huh, Oh Yeah
- Sweet Sugar Lips
- Loveable
- Big Daddy
- Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?
- My Reverie 1958
- I Found a New Baby 1958
- Love Will Find Out the Way
- Dream Boy . .
- Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?
- The President Song
- Seems Like Old TimesSeems Like Old Times (song)"Seems Like Old Times" is a popular song, with music and lyrics by Carmen Lombardo and John Jacob Loeb.It was originally recorded by Guy Lombardo's orchestra on November 15, 1945 and released by Decca Records as catalog number 18737....
- I Can't Hide a Mountain
- Have You Ever Been Lonely?Have You Ever Been Lonely?"Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill , published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard.**1933 Ted Lewis, Ray Noble**1955 Jaye P...
- I Gotta Have My Baby Back
- Lonely Life
- One Boy