Murray Kane was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Corporal, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and band manager. As a performer, he was a member of the Crew Chiefs vocal group and the Glenn Miller Orchestra

Glenn Miller Orchestra

The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...

.

Early life

Kane was born in 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. During high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

, Kane hosted a radio show on WNEW

WBBR

WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...

 alongside Hal Kanner.

Early career

Around 1937-38, after graduating from high school, Kane and Kanner recruited a female vocalist and performed under the names of "The Manhattanites" and "Two Bees and A Honey". The group was later joined by Daisy Brennier, and they performed with Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians on the Chesterfield

Chesterfield (cigarette)

Chesterfield is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It was one of the most recognized brands of the early 20th century, but sales have declined steadily over the years. It was named for Chesterfield County, Virginia. Chesterfield is still being made today; it is still popular in Europe, but has...

 radio tour.

Glenn Miller Orchestra

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Kane was a member of Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller

Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...

's Army Air Force Orchestra, performing with them overseas for the duration of the war.

The Crew Chiefs

Kane's military career originally saw him as a Private First Class

Private First Class

Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...

 officer in the US Army. In 1943, Kane formed The Crew Chiefs with Sergeant Steve Steck, Corporal Artie Malvin

Artie Malvin

Artie Malvin was a composer and vocalist who was the baritone member of The Crew Chiefs, and he also sang with Glenn Miller's band....

, and Privates Lynn Allison and Gene Steck. Around the same time, his rank was changed to that of Corporal. His despondency at this move led him to compose "Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?

Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?

"Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?" is a big band jazz song written by Murray Kane in 1944. The music and lyrics were registered in the United States Copyright Catalog on 6 February 1945.- Recordings :...

", quoting a popular phrase used between children and soldiers. Kane left the group in 1945.

Management career

After leaving The Crew Chiefs, Kane became a talent scout 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...

. He managed and composed for the DeMarco Sisters and secured them as a permanent fixture on Fred Allen

Fred Allen

Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...

's radio show.

In 1950, Kane became the vocal arranger for The McGuire Sisters

The McGuire Sisters

The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters: Christine McGuire , Dorothy McGuire , and Phyllis McGuire...

, after hearing them perform on Kate Smith

Kate Smith

Kathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...

's radio show. Kane's compositions and arrangements helped the group secure an audition (and contract) at 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....

. Kane subsequently became their personal manager, and helped arrange their breakthrough performance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...

. The group retired in 1968. Through his work with The McGuire Sisters, Kane also worked with The Kane Triplets

The Kane Triplets

The Kane Triplets were a pop music group made up of triplets Lucille, Jeanne and Maureen Kane. They are perhaps best known for their recording of the Mission: Impossible, which was released in 1968 by United Artists Records with vocals written by Fred Milano and Angelo D'Aleo of The...

, who later performed on The Jack Benny Show, The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....

, The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982, distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations.The program featured light banter with...

, The Perry Como Show and The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show

The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...

. In 1984, Kane restarted The McGuire Sisters' career with a song entitled "The Second Time Around".

Later life and death

Kane moved to Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

in 1975. He died in Las Vegas on January 31, 1986 at the age of 70.