Jo Ann Greer
Encyclopedia
Jo Ann Greer had one of the most distinctive and elegant voices, yet least-known faces of all the successful jazz and pop singers in show business.
Her career spanned nearly 50 years, but the two fields in which she primarily worked — movie dubbing and band-singing — seldom gave her the credit she deserved. She initially became known to Hollywood casting people from an early marriage to pianist Freddie Slack
in the 1940s and later through her long employment with Les Brown
and his Band of Renown. Following some appearances with Sonny Burke
and his orchestra, Greer recorded for Decca Records
and joined Brown's band in the early 1950s. They made numerous singles for Coral Records
and later Capitol Records
and toured internationally for more than 30 years, well into the late 1980s. Greer became increasingly associated with her distinctive version of Brown's hit song "Sentimental Journey
", which he had originally recorded with Doris Day
.
In 1953, Greer also recorded with Ray Anthony
's band, with whom she scored her two biggest hits, "Wild Horses" (No. 28 in Billboard
) and the perennial party favorite, "The Hokey Pokey". Unfortunately, the bandleaders' names were the ones that were prominently featured on the labels and Greer's name, if it appeared at all, was in fine print.
Her other career was as a secret "ghost" singer for famous movie stars. In 1952, Rita Hayworth
had returned to Hollywood following the break-up of her marriage to Prince Aly Khan
and began work on her "comeback" film, Affair in Trinidad
. After several failed attempts to let Hayworth try and do her own singing, musical director Morris Stoloff
brought in Greer, who was deemed a good vocal match and even had a slight lisp similar to Hayworth's. Greer's vocals on "Trinidad Lady" and "I've Been Kissed Before" helped the movie become a big box-office hit, even out-grossing Gilda
by more than a million dollars.
Greer continued to be in big demand as a dubber, especially at Columbia Pictures
, and went on to do the vocal tracks for such stars as Gloria Grahame
(in Naked Alibi
), Kim Novak
(in Five Against the House), May Wynn
(in The Caine Mutiny (film)
), Esther Williams
(in Jupiter's Darling (film)
), June Allyson
(in The Opposite Sex
), and Susan Kohner
(in Imitation of Life (1959 film)
). Other dubbing work at Columbia included the Dan Dailey
-starrer Meet Me at the Fair (for Carole Mathews) and Frankie Laine
's Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (for Charlotte Austin, daughter of entertainer/songwriter Gene Austin
).
She also sang for Hayworth in two more of her biggest successes, Miss Sadie Thompson
and Pal Joey (film)
. When the latter two soundtrack albums were released by Mercury Records
and Capitol Records
respectively, however, Greer's name was not even listed, in order to preserve the illusion that it was Hayworth who sang.
Though Greer had a wholesome, somewhat matronly appearance in real-life, she was particularly adept at capturing Hayworth's sulty sexuality with her voice on such songs as "The Heat is On
", "Blue Pacific Blues", "Zip" and "Bewitched
". Greer and Hayworth enjoyed a good working relationship on all three of the films they did together. Hayworth would attend Greer's recording sessions and dance barefoot for her in front of the microphone, so that Greer could follow her breathing and movements as she sang.
Stoloff also utilized Greer's talents for two projects on the newly-formed Colpix Records
label, having her record My Funny Valentine
(he supposedly had never liked the version done by another singer for Kim Novak in Pal Joey
), and Hayworth's signature song Put The Blame on Mame
for the album "Voices, Soundtracks and Themes From Great Movies" (Greer's name was once more left off both the label and the jacket). The second Colpix album was more ambitious, an original film noir
-style musical entitled The Naked City
, named to tie-in with the popular film and TV series, with music by George Duning
, text and lyrics by Ned Washington
and narration by veteran actor John McIntire
. The singing was done by Greer, James Darren and the Jud Conlon Singers. This time their names were listed in tiny print on the record label, but left off of the LP cover. It was released in stereo as Colpix SCP 505.
Greer never got to record a vocal album of her own, but some of her many singles have been reissued on CD, most of her films are available on DVD
and many CD collections have been released of her broadcasts and live performances with the bands of Anthony, Burke and Brown, including shows from the Hollywood Palladium
, Denver's Elitch Gardens
and the 1983 Aurex Jazz Festival in Tokyo
, Japan
. She also made one on-screen appearance as herself in the 1957 Universal-International musical short "Dance Demons," in which she sings "Moonlight in Vermont" with the Les Brown band.
Greer's second marriage was to Mickey McMahan
, a trumpet player with the Les Brown orchestra. She appeared with him on three episodes of the Lawrence Welk Show in 1966 and 1967, on which he had become a regular. In 1991, while still performing occasionally with the Brown band (now mostly led by Les Jr.), she was part of a successful cabaret show called "Voices," which also featured two other prominent "ghost" singers, Annette Warren and India Adams. They were invited to perform at one of that year's Oscar events by the Motion Picture Academy.
Greer died in 2001, following a long bout with Alzheimer's.
Her career spanned nearly 50 years, but the two fields in which she primarily worked — movie dubbing and band-singing — seldom gave her the credit she deserved. She initially became known to Hollywood casting people from an early marriage to pianist Freddie Slack
Freddie Slack
Frederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
in the 1940s and later through her long employment with Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
and his Band of Renown. Following some appearances with Sonny Burke
Sonny Burke
Sonny Burke was a big band leader. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors....
and his orchestra, Greer recorded for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
and joined Brown's band in the early 1950s. They made numerous singles for Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
and later Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and toured internationally for more than 30 years, well into the late 1980s. Greer became increasingly associated with her distinctive version of Brown's hit song "Sentimental Journey
Sentimental Journey (song)
"Sentimental Journey" is a popular song, published in 1944. The music was written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, and the lyrics were written by Arthur Green.-History:...
", which he had originally recorded with Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
.
In 1953, Greer also recorded with Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor.- Biography :...
's band, with whom she scored her two biggest hits, "Wild Horses" (No. 28 in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
) and the perennial party favorite, "The Hokey Pokey". Unfortunately, the bandleaders' names were the ones that were prominently featured on the labels and Greer's name, if it appeared at all, was in fine print.
Her other career was as a secret "ghost" singer for famous movie stars. In 1952, Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
had returned to Hollywood following the break-up of her marriage to Prince Aly Khan
Prince Aly Khan
Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan , known as Aly Khan was a son of Aga Khan III, the head of the Ismaili Muslims, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth...
and began work on her "comeback" film, Affair in Trinidad
Affair in Trinidad
Affair in Trinidad is a film produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation, released by Columbia Pictures, and starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It is notable as Hayworth's "comeback" film after four years away from Columbia, as a re-teaming of the Gilda co-stars, and for a fiery opening...
. After several failed attempts to let Hayworth try and do her own singing, musical director Morris Stoloff
Morris Stoloff
Morris Stoloff was a musical composer.Stoloff worked as a music director at Columbia Pictures from 1936 to 1962...
brought in Greer, who was deemed a good vocal match and even had a slight lisp similar to Hayworth's. Greer's vocals on "Trinidad Lady" and "I've Been Kissed Before" helped the movie become a big box-office hit, even out-grossing Gilda
Gilda
Gilda is a 1946 American black-and-white film noir directed by Charles Vidor. It stars Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth , and...
by more than a million dollars.
Greer continued to be in big demand as a dubber, especially at 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...
, and went on to do the vocal tracks for such stars as Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame was an American Academy Award–winning actress.Grahame began her acting career in theatre, and in 1944 she made her first film for MGM. Despite a featured role in It's a Wonderful Life , MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success, and sold her contract to RKO Studios...
(in Naked Alibi
Naked Alibi
Naked Alibi is a 1954 black-and-white film starring Sterling Hayden. Portions of the film, considered film noir, were shot in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.-Plot:...
), Kim Novak
Kim Novak
Kim Novak is an American film and television actress. She began her career with her roles in Pushover and Phffft! but achieved greater prominence in the 1955 film Picnic...
(in Five Against the House), May Wynn
May Wynn
May Wynn is an American dancer, singer, and actress.She was born as Donna Lee Hickey, and began performing under that name at New York's Copacabana nightclub in 1947, when she was seventeen...
(in The Caine Mutiny (film)
The Caine Mutiny (film)
The Caine Mutiny is a 1954 American drama film set during World War II, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Stanley Kramer. It stars Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, and is based on the 1951 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny. The film...
), Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
(in Jupiter's Darling (film)
Jupiter's Darling (film)
Jupiter's Darling is a musical romance film released by MGM in 1955 and directed by George Sidney. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiance...
), June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
(in The Opposite Sex
The Opposite Sex
The Opposite Sex is a 1956 musical film.It is a remake of the 1939 classic comedy The Women. Both films are based on Claire Boothe Luce's original play...
), and Susan Kohner
Susan Kohner
Susan Kohner is an American actress.-Early life and career:Born as Susanna Kohner in Los Angeles, Kohner is the daughter of Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and Jewish film producer Paul Kohner who was born in Bohemia part of Austria-Hungary...
(in Imitation of Life (1959 film)
Imitation of Life (1959 film)
Imitation of Life is a 1959 American film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter and released by Universal Pictures, starring Lana Turner and John Gavin and features Sandra Dee, Dan O'Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda and Juanita Moore as Annie Johnson. Gospel music star Mahalia Jackson...
). Other dubbing work at Columbia included the Dan Dailey
Dan Dailey
Daniel James Dailey Jr. was an American dancer and actor.-Early life and career:Born in New York City on December 14, 1915, to James J. and Helen Dailey, both born in New York City. He appeared in a minstrel show when very young, and appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in...
-starrer Meet Me at the Fair (for Carole Mathews) and Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
's Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (for Charlotte Austin, daughter of entertainer/songwriter Gene Austin
Gene Austin
Gene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:...
).
She also sang for Hayworth in two more of her biggest successes, Miss Sadie Thompson
Miss Sadie Thompson
Miss Sadie Thompson is 1953 American musical 3D film starring Rita Hayworth, Aldo Ray, José Ferrer, and released by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on the W. Somerset Maugham short story Miss Thompson...
and Pal Joey (film)
Pal Joey (film)
Pal Joey is a 1957 film, loosely adapted from the musical play of the same name, and starring Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, and Kim Novak. Jo Ann Greer sang for Hayworth, as she had done previously in Affair in Trinidad and Miss Sadie Thompson. Kim Novak's singing voice was dubbed by Trudy Erwin...
. When the latter two soundtrack albums were released by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
and Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
respectively, however, Greer's name was not even listed, in order to preserve the illusion that it was Hayworth who sang.
Though Greer had a wholesome, somewhat matronly appearance in real-life, she was particularly adept at capturing Hayworth's sulty sexuality with her voice on such songs as "The Heat is On
The Heat Is On
The Heat Is On is a BBC talent show that was a regular fixture on the Saturday night schedule between 1990 and 1994. The show was originally hosted by comedian/impressionist Bobby Davro, with his catchphrase of "They're in heat, so vote with your feet!" sweeping the nation...
", "Blue Pacific Blues", "Zip" and "Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
". Greer and Hayworth enjoyed a good working relationship on all three of the films they did together. Hayworth would attend Greer's recording sessions and dance barefoot for her in front of the microphone, so that Greer could follow her breathing and movements as she sang.
Stoloff also utilized Greer's talents for two projects on the newly-formed Colpix Records
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...
label, having her record My Funny Valentine
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
(he supposedly had never liked the version done by another singer for Kim Novak in Pal Joey
Pal Joey
Pal Joey is a 1940 epistolary novel by John O'Hara, which became the basis of the 1940 stage musical comedy and 1957 motion picture of the same name, with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart....
), and Hayworth's signature song Put The Blame on Mame
Put the Blame on Mame
"Put the Blame on Mame" is a song by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher, originally made for the film Gilda in 1946 - where it was sung by the title character, played by Rita Hayworth and with the singing voice actually that of Anita Kert Ellis....
for the album "Voices, Soundtracks and Themes From Great Movies" (Greer's name was once more left off both the label and the jacket). The second Colpix album was more ambitious, an original film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
-style musical entitled The Naked City
The Naked City
The Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
, named to tie-in with the popular film and TV series, with music by George Duning
George Duning
George Duning was an American musician and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where his mentor was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco....
, text and lyrics by Ned Washington
Ned Washington
Ned Washington was an American lyricist.-Biography:Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962...
and narration by veteran actor John McIntire
John McIntire
John McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire...
. The singing was done by Greer, James Darren and the Jud Conlon Singers. This time their names were listed in tiny print on the record label, but left off of the LP cover. It was released in stereo as Colpix SCP 505.
Greer never got to record a vocal album of her own, but some of her many singles have been reissued on CD, most of her films are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and many CD collections have been released of her broadcasts and live performances with the bands of Anthony, Burke and Brown, including shows from the Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people.-History:...
, Denver's Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...
and the 1983 Aurex Jazz Festival in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She also made one on-screen appearance as herself in the 1957 Universal-International musical short "Dance Demons," in which she sings "Moonlight in Vermont" with the Les Brown band.
Greer's second marriage was to Mickey McMahan
Mickey McMahan
Mickey McMahan was an American born big band musician who played with the Lawrence Welk orchestra from 1966 to 1982. His instrument was the trumpet....
, a trumpet player with the Les Brown orchestra. She appeared with him on three episodes of the Lawrence Welk Show in 1966 and 1967, on which he had become a regular. In 1991, while still performing occasionally with the Brown band (now mostly led by Les Jr.), she was part of a successful cabaret show called "Voices," which also featured two other prominent "ghost" singers, Annette Warren and India Adams. They were invited to perform at one of that year's Oscar events by the Motion Picture Academy.
Greer died in 2001, following a long bout with Alzheimer's.
External links
- Profile at IMDb
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcw8tFhsGLY "Sentimental Journey" 1983
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsiCNKRU454 "S'Wonderful" 1983
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT86gbVRMhs "The Heat is On" (Miss Sadie Thompson) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mpSgRAMe9I "Blue Pacific Blues (Miss Sadie Thompson) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa3VzCoyBOU&feature=related "Hear No Evil, See No Evil" (Miss Sadie Thompson) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc6RTekKVmg "I've Been Kissed Before" (Affair in Trinidad) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBFebjOJ1M8 "Zip" (Pal Joey) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz8qRsqoBLc&feature=related "Bewitched" (Pal Joey) (as Rita Hayworth)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-83q_7nht8 "A Perfect Love" (The Opposite Sex) (as June Allyson)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYj6TgHYoFI "Ace in the Hole" (Naked Alibi) (as Gloria Grahame)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvpxWKVLN08 "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" (The Caine Mutiny) (as May Wynn)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OIp4_TZO2Y "The Hokey Pokey" (with Ray Anthony)