- Wayne King
Wayne King, born Harold Wayne King, (
February 16 ,1901 –July 16 ,1985 ) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and orchestral leader. He was sometimes referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved waltzes; "The Waltz You Saved For Me" was his standard set closing song in live performance and on numerous radio broadcasts at the height of his career.Born in
Savanna, Illinois , King was an impressive athlete in high school, and briefly played professional football with theCanton Bulldogs . He also attendedValparaiso University inIndiana for two years, but left to begin a career in music.After playing saxophone for the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra, he created "Wayne King and Orchestra" in 1927. It was disbanded duringWorld War II , and King joined the army, advancing to the rank of major. The orchestra was reestablished in 1946.King's orchestra had a television show in Chicago from 1949 to 1952. He has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Radio category. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the retired silent film actressDorothy Janis .Recordings
*"
Dream a Little Dream of Me ", 1931, a #1 hit
*"Maria Elena ", 1941, a #2 hit
*"All Alone", recorded 1946
* Dancing with tears in my eys (orchestral 1952)References
* [http://stevensorchestra.tripod.com/id11.html Stevens Orchestra Project website]
* [http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/artist_bio.asp?artistId=79 Songwriters Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:mj2vad7kv8wj~T1 All Music Guide]
* [http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/wayneking.html Big Band Library]
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