Connie Haines
Encyclopedia
Connie Haines was an American
singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band
songs with the Harry James
and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra
.
, Haines began performing at age 4, and by age 9 had a regular radio show performing as Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air. After a number of regional successes and winning the Major Bowes contest, she was hired by Harry James
, who asked her to change her name. She later joined Tommy Dorsey, and Haines credited Dorsey with developing her style further. Haines performed in a number of films, including Duchess of Idaho
. She later did a television show with Frankie Laine
.
flying ace Robert DeHaven in 1945. That marriage produced a son (Robert Jr.) and a daughter (Kimberly). Her subsequent marriage to popular bandleader Del Courtney (1910–2006) lasted from 1966 to 1972.
on Sept. 22, 2008. She was 87. Amazingly, her mother, Mildred JaMais of Clearwater, Fla., survived her at 109 ! JaMais later died in January 2010, just short of her 111th birthday!
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer. Her 200 recordings were frequently up-tempo big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
songs with the Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
and Tommy Dorsey orchestras, and Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
.
Biography
Born as Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Haines began performing at age 4, and by age 9 had a regular radio show performing as Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air. After a number of regional successes and winning the Major Bowes contest, she was hired by Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
, who asked her to change her name. She later joined Tommy Dorsey, and Haines credited Dorsey with developing her style further. Haines performed in a number of films, including Duchess of Idaho
Duchess of Idaho
Duchess of Idaho is a musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson...
. She later did a television show with 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...
.
Selected Discography
- Tribute to Helen Morgan (1997)
- Singin’ and Swingin’ (2001)
- Nightingale from Savannah (2008)
- The Magic of Believing (2008) – with Jane RussellJane RussellJane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
and Beryl DavisBeryl DavisBeryl Davis was a British big band singer. Her sister is Lisa Davis Waltz, a teen actress in the 1950s and 1960s.... - Heart and Soul of Connie (2009)
- Kiss The Boys Goodbye (2009)
Personal life
She was married and divorced twice. Her first marriage was to World War IIWorld 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...
flying ace Robert DeHaven in 1945. That marriage produced a son (Robert Jr.) and a daughter (Kimberly). Her subsequent marriage to popular bandleader Del Courtney (1910–2006) lasted from 1966 to 1972.
Death
Connie Haines died of myasthenia gravisMyasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability...
on Sept. 22, 2008. She was 87. Amazingly, her mother, Mildred JaMais of Clearwater, Fla., survived her at 109 ! JaMais later died in January 2010, just short of her 111th birthday!
Filmography
- Birth of a Band (1954) .... Connie - Band Singer
- Duchess of IdahoDuchess of IdahoDuchess of Idaho is a musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson...
(1950) .... Peggy Elliot - A Wave, a WAC and a Marine (1944) .... Singer, Freddie Rich Orchestra
- Twilight on the Prairie (1944) .... Ginger
- Moon Over Las Vegas (1944) .... Connie Haines, Singer