Fran Frey

Fran Frey (December 23, 1903 in Indiana - December 1, 1962 in California) was a singer[1][2] and saxophonist best known for his work for George Olsen and His Music in the 1920s and early 1930s.[3] Among his better known songs is "The Varsity Drag" of 1927;[4] "Big City Blues" of 1929; "A Garden in the Rain", also of 1929. Frey sang on 77 songs with the George Olsen band, both as recordings and on the radio.[5] One song, entitled "Who?", sold more than a million recordings.[6][7]

Frey was heard on the Oldsmobile Program on CBS radio in 1933.[8]

Although he played for several other bands after Olsen's, including Victor Young's,[9] he never achieved the level of fame he had in earlier years.[10][11]

Frey died suddenly of a heart attack at his home on December 2, 1962, age 58. At the time of his death, he was writing music for the Ice Capades and for Columbia Pictures.[12][13]

References

  1. ↑ Benjamin D. Brotemarkle (2004). Titusville and Mims. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 59–. ISBN 978-0-7385-1618-9.
  2. ↑ Fred W. Edmiston (8 January 2003). The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks: "The Band That Made Radio Famous". McFarland. pp. 89–. ISBN 978-0-7864-4327-7.
  3. ↑ Leo Walker (1989). The Big Band Almanac. Da Capo Press. pp. 326–. ISBN 978-0-306-80345-1.
  4. ↑ John Dunning (7 May 1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. pp. 61–. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  5. ↑ Phil Hardy (1995). The Da Capo Companion to 20th-century Popular Music. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80640-7.
  6. ↑ Marvin E. Paymer; Don E. Post (1999). Sentimental Journey: Intimate Portraits of America's Great Popular Songs, 1920-1945. Noble House Publishers. pp. 83–. ISBN 978-1-881907-09-1.
  7. ↑ Joseph Murrells (31 December 1984). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory. Batsford. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7134-3843-7.
  8. ↑ "Backstage" (PDF). Radio News. XIV (10): 635. April 1933. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Record Research. Record research. 1976. p. 64.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ George Thomas Simon (1981). The big bands. Schirmer Books. p. 499. ISBN 978-0-02-872420-1.
  12. ↑ Los Angeles Times, 12/8/1962 Obituaries
  13. ↑ http://www.death-record.com/l/175438028/Fran-Frey Lists dates of birth and death. Ancestry.com. Accessed July 13, 2013.

External links

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