- Eddie Fisher (singer)
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Eddie Fisher
Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Edmund John Fisher
Born = Birth date and age|1928|8|10|mf=y,Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
Genre = Traditional Pop
Years_active = 1948-1984
Label = RCA Victor, Ramrod, DotEdmund John "Eddie" Fisher (born
August 10 ,1928 ) is an Americansinger andentertainer .Biography
Early life
Fisher, fourth of seven children, was born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania , the son ofRussia n-bornJew ish immigrants Kate (née Winokur) and Joseph Fisher. [ [http://www.genealogy.com/famousfolks/carrie-fisher/index.htm#sxb Genealogy.com - Ancestry of Carrie Fisher ] ] [ [http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/991015/fisher.shtml 'Jewish Sinatra' tells all ] ] His father's surname was originally Fisch, but was anglicised to Fisher upon entry into theUnited States .Fact|date=May 2008To his family, Fisher was always called "Sonny Boy" or "Sonny". It was known at an early age that he had talent as a
vocalist and he started singing in numerousamateur contests, which he usually won. He sang on the radio in high school (he attendedSimon Gratz High School in northPhiladelphia ) and was later on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ", a popular radio show which moved totelevision .Career
By 1946, Fisher was crooning with the bands of
Buddy Morrow andCharlie Ventura . He was heard in 1949 byEddie Cantor atGrossinger's Resort in theBorscht Belt . After performing on Cantor's radio show he was an instant hit and gained nationwide exposure. He then signed withRCA Victor .Fisher was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951, sent to
Texas for basic training, and served a year inKorea . From 1952 to 1953, he was the official vocal soloist for TheUnited States Army Band (Pershing's Own) and a tenor section member in the United States Army Band Chorus (an element of Pershing's Own) assigned atFort Myer in theWashington, D.C. Military District. The photos of him in uniform during his time in the service did not hurt hiscivilian career . After his discharge, he became even more popular singing in top nightclubs. He also had a varietytelevision series, "Coke Time with Eddie Fisher " (NBC ) (1953 - 1957), appeared onPerry Como 's show, "TheChesterfield Supper Club " and the "George Gobel Show", and starred in another series, "The Eddie Fisher Show " (NBC) (1957 - 1959).A pre-
Rock and Roll vocalist, Fisher's strong and melodious tenor made him ateen idol and one of the most popular singers of the 1950s. He had seventeen songs in the Top 10 on the music charts between 1950 and 1956 and thirty-five in the Top 40.In 1956, Fisher costarred with then-wife
Debbie Reynolds in themusical comedy "Bundle of Joy ". He played a serious role in the 1960 drama "BUtterfield 8 " with then-wifeElizabeth Taylor . His best friend was showman and producer Mike Todd, who died in a plane crash in 1958. Fisher's affair and subsequent marriage to Todd's famous widow caused ashow business scandal because he and his first wife, also famous, had a very publicdivorce .In 1960, he was dropped by RCA Victor and briefly recorded on his own label,
Ramrod Records . He later recorded forDot Records . During this time, he had the first commercial recording of "Sunrise, Sunset " from "Fiddler on the Roof ". This technically counts as the biggest standard Fisher can claim credit for introducing, although it is rarely associated with him. He also recorded the albumEddie Fisher today which showed that he had more depth than his singles from the early years had shown. TheDot years were not successful in record sales terms but they did show him as a more competent and entertaining singer than theRCA Victor years. He then returned to RCA Victor and had a minor single hit in 1966 with the song "Games That Lovers Play", which became the title of his best selling album. During the time Fisher was the most popular singer in AmericaFact|date=April 2007, in the mid 1950s, singles, rather than albums, were the primary recording medium. His last album for RCA was anAl Jolson tribute, "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet". Eddie Fisher's last album was recorded around 1984 under the Bainbridge record label. Fisher tried to stop the album from being released but it showed up on the record stores shelves entitled "After All". The album was produced by William J. O'Malley and arranged by Angelo DiPippo.Fisher has performed in top concert halls all over the United States and headlined in major Las Vegas showrooms. He has headlined at the Palace Theater in New York City as well as London's
Palladium .Fisher has two stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame , one for Recording, at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard, and one for TV, at 1724 Vine Street.Personal life
Fisher has had five wives: actress
Debbie Reynolds (married 1955-divorced 1959), actressElizabeth Taylor (married 1959-divorced 1964), actressConnie Stevens (married 1967-divorced 1969), Terry Richard (married 1975- divorced 1976) and Betty Lin (married 1993). Betty Lin died onApril 15 ,2001 . Fisher is the father of two children by Reynolds, actressCarrie Fisher and Todd Fisher, and the father of two children by Stevens, actressJoely Fisher and actressTricia Leigh Fisher .In 1981, Fisher wrote an
autobiography , "" (ISBN 0-06-014907-8). He wrote another autobiography in 1999 titled "Been There, Done That" (ISBN 0-312-20972-X). The later book devotes little space to Fisher's singing career, but recycled the material of his first book and added many new sexual details that had been too spicy to publish the first time around.When interviewed, Debbie Reynolds will characteristically say that she could understand being dumped "for the world's most beautiful woman (Taylor)", previously a close friend. Taylor and Reynolds later resumed their friendship, and mocked Fisher in their
TV movie "These Old Broads ", wherein their characters ridiculed the ex-husband they shared, named "Freddie."Discography
Hit songs
*"
Thinking Of You " (1950) (revival of a 1920s song)
*"Turn Back The Hands Of Time "
*"Watermelon Weather " (duet with Perry Como)
*"Any Time " (1951)
*"Tell Me Why" (1951) "(also a big hit forThe Four Aces , whoseAl Alberts co-wrote the song)"
*"I'm Yours" (1952)
*"Lady Of Spain" (1952) (recorded outtake byJerry Lee Lewis , 1988)
*"Maybe" (1952) (duet withPerry Como )
*"Wish You Were Here" (no. 1) (1952)
*"A Man Chases A Girl (Until She Catches Him) " withDebbie Reynolds
*"I'm Walking Behind You " (no. 1) (1953) (with Sally Sweetland)
*"Outside of Heaven " (UK no. 1) 1953
*"Many Times " (1953)
*"Oh My Pa-Pa" (no. 1) (1953)
*"A Girl, A Girl (Zoom-Ba Di Alli Nella) " (1954)
*"Anema e core" (1954)
*"Count Your Blessings" (1954)
*"Dungaree Doll " (in 1973,Jerry Lee Lewis recorded this solo at the famous 'London Sessions')
*"I Need You Now " (no. 1) (1954) (later that year,Jerry Lee Lewis recorded it solo as a demo for the 'Louisiana Hayride ', supervised bySlim Whitman )
*"Heart" (1955)
*"Cindy, Oh Cindy " (1956)
*"Sunrise, Sunset " (1965)
*"Games That Lovers Play " (no. 45 , #2 easy listening) (1966)Albums
*"Eddie Fisher Sings" (10-inch album) (
RCA Victor 1952)
*"I'm In The Mood For Love" (RCA Victor 1952/55)
*"Christmas With Eddie Fisher" (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1952)
*"Irving Berlin Favorites" (10-inch album) (RCA Victor 1954)
*"May I Sing To You?" (RCA Victor 1954/55)
*"I Love You" (RCA Victor 1955)
*"Academy Award Winners" (RCA Victor 1955)
*"Bundle Of Joy" (film soundtrack) (RCA Victor 1956)
*"As Long As There's Music" (RCA Victor 1958)
*"Scent Of Mystery" (film soundtrack) (Ramrod 1960)
*"Eddie Fisher At The Winter Garden" (Ramrod 1963)
*"Eddie Fisher Today!" (Dot 1965)
*"When I Was Young" (Dot 1965) (re-recordings of his RCA Victor hits)
*"Games That Lovers Play" (RCA 1966)
*"People Like You" (RCA 1967)
*"You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet" (RCA 1968)
*"After All" (Bainbridge Records 1984)Compilations
*"Thinking Of You" (RCA-Victor 1957)
*"Eddie Fisher's Greatest Hits" (RCA Victor 1962)
*"The Very Best Of Eddie Fisher" (MCA 1988)ee also
References
External links
*imdb name|id=0279472|name=Eddie Fisher
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/efisher.html Thinking Of You: Eddie Fisher] on The Interlude Era site
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