Lenny Dee
Encyclopedia
Leonard George DeStoppelaire (January 5, 1923 – February 12, 2006), better known as Lenny Dee, was a virtuoso organist who played many styles of music. His record albums were among the most popular of easy listening
and space age pop
organists of the 1950s through the early 1970s. His signature hit, Plantation Boogie, charted as a Top 20 hit in 1955. He also had a gold record with 1970's Spinning Wheel.
Dee played a variety of songs in numerous styles. He played original compositions, popular songs, and novelty tunes, and was a master of improvisation. Although his unique style was a pop/boogie-woogie blend, he also played ballads, country and western, jazz, rock, and patriotic songs.
during World War II in 1943.
Upon his return from service, Dee spent his Navy earnings on a Hammond
Model A organ, one of the earliest of its kind. With money from the G.I. Bill, he received instruction in organ at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. Afterward, he began playing hotels and night clubs in the south in the late 1940s to some degree of success, but very little fame and no record contracts.
heard him playing at the Plantation Inn in Nashville, Tennessee, and thought Dee's country flavor would be a good contrast to the label's then prominent organist, Ethel Smith
.
Dee made good, and his original composition, Plantation Boogie charted at #18 in 1955. Dee re-recorded the hit on numerous albums, and was often imitated, even plagiarized, but never duplicated.
Dee ventured into recording albums for Decca starting in 1954 with his first LP, Dee-lightful. Part of Dee's charm was his albums' zany covers featuring Dee in various situations, and titles with puns that usually included his name, such as Dee-Lirious, Dee-Licious, and Dee-Most! His recording featured organ with other instruments. He was nearly always backed by percussion; depending on the song, he also recorded with guitar
; bass
; a backup chorus
; strings; horns such as saxophone
s, trombone
s, trumpet
s; and even the banjo
.
When Dee married his wife, Hendrica, in 1960, the couple settled down in Sarasota and eventually St. Petersburg, Florida, which would become the base of Lenny's operations for the rest of his career. They had two children. Lenny Dee Jr., his drummer, was one of three children from his first marriage (Betty).
Despite his contract with Decca, Lenny Dee's first love was live performance. In the mid-1950s he performed for several summers at the Lake Breeze Hotel lounge, at Buckeye Lake, just east of Columbus, Ohio. Around 1960, he played for a few years at a lounge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1967, after performing regularly in hotel lounges at St. Petersburg Beach like the Desert Ranch and Dolphin Beach resorts, Dee started a night club named Lenny Dee's Dolphin Den. He later opened Lenny Dee's King's Inn a few miles away. His supper club format — with dinner, drinks and his musical and his comedy routines — was popular with local fans and visitors from around the world. The club's menu included the "One Pound Pork Chop," along with other selections.
His routine included corny jokes and wild hat and costume routines that Dee was noted for. A lover of animals, Dee often included his pet dogs (particularly one black poodle he owned named "Miss Muffett") in his routine, with the dogs barking along with some of his numbers.
His television credits include appearances on Toast of the Town with Ed Sullivan, The Tonight Show
with Jack Paar, The Lawrence Welk Show
, and later Nashville Now
. Dee even had his own show in the mid-50s on WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida called Ladies' Day with Lenny Dee; it enjoyed a brief run.
Dee spent the rest of his career at his night clubs and on tour, but the demand for his music continued to decline. In 1999, Dee played on a series of cruise ship tours. He retired in 2003. He died on February 12, 2006 in St. Petersburg.
Model A organ. He later customized this instrument with a Hammond Solovox, a Maas-Rowe Vibrachord, and Leslie speakers (model 31-H). He also had a tape echo built into his organ, allowing him to create his trademark re-echo sound.
In the early 1960s, Dee recorded on a Wurlitzer
organ overdubbed with his Hammond Model A. In 1967, he started recording on a Hammond X-66; in 1972, he switched to a Hammond Concorde. In the 1970s, he also recorded on Yamaha
and Thomas organs. Other keyboards he used include the Hammond Piper, which he used for its trumpet and harpsichord sounds, and the ARP
synthesizer.
When he toured on a cruise ship towards the end of his life, he played a Hammond-Suzuki Elegante.
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and space age pop
Space age pop
Space age pop is a general and loosely based term for a music genre associated with certain Mexican and American composers and songwriters in the Space Age of the 1950s and 1960s. It is also called bachelor pad music or lounge music...
organists of the 1950s through the early 1970s. His signature hit, Plantation Boogie, charted as a Top 20 hit in 1955. He also had a gold record with 1970's Spinning Wheel.
Dee played a variety of songs in numerous styles. He played original compositions, popular songs, and novelty tunes, and was a master of improvisation. Although his unique style was a pop/boogie-woogie blend, he also played ballads, country and western, jazz, rock, and patriotic songs.
Early years
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1923, Dee was an only child (though it is sometimes erroneously reported that he was one of eleven or twelve children). As a child, he sang in his church's choir; he also played ukulele and accordion. As a teenager, he turned playing the accordion into a profession, which he continued until he was drafted into the NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II in 1943.
Upon his return from service, Dee spent his Navy earnings on a Hammond
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
Model A organ, one of the earliest of its kind. With money from the G.I. Bill, he received instruction in organ at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. Afterward, he began playing hotels and night clubs in the south in the late 1940s to some degree of success, but very little fame and no record contracts.
Decca/MCA years
It was not until the early 1950s that Dee was signed up to Decca after country singer Red FoleyRed Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
heard him playing at the Plantation Inn in Nashville, Tennessee, and thought Dee's country flavor would be a good contrast to the label's then prominent organist, Ethel Smith
Ethel Smith (organist)
Ethel Smith was an organist who played primarily in a pop style on the Hammond organ.Her recording of Tico Tico was her best-known hit. It reached No. 14 on the U.S. pop charts in November 1944 and sold over one million copies worldwide. She also recorded it for the 1944 film, Bathing Beauty...
.
Dee made good, and his original composition, Plantation Boogie charted at #18 in 1955. Dee re-recorded the hit on numerous albums, and was often imitated, even plagiarized, but never duplicated.
Dee ventured into recording albums for Decca starting in 1954 with his first LP, Dee-lightful. Part of Dee's charm was his albums' zany covers featuring Dee in various situations, and titles with puns that usually included his name, such as Dee-Lirious, Dee-Licious, and Dee-Most! His recording featured organ with other instruments. He was nearly always backed by percussion; depending on the song, he also recorded with guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
; bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
; a backup chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
; strings; horns such as saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s; and even the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
.
When Dee married his wife, Hendrica, in 1960, the couple settled down in Sarasota and eventually St. Petersburg, Florida, which would become the base of Lenny's operations for the rest of his career. They had two children. Lenny Dee Jr., his drummer, was one of three children from his first marriage (Betty).
Despite his contract with Decca, Lenny Dee's first love was live performance. In the mid-1950s he performed for several summers at the Lake Breeze Hotel lounge, at Buckeye Lake, just east of Columbus, Ohio. Around 1960, he played for a few years at a lounge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1967, after performing regularly in hotel lounges at St. Petersburg Beach like the Desert Ranch and Dolphin Beach resorts, Dee started a night club named Lenny Dee's Dolphin Den. He later opened Lenny Dee's King's Inn a few miles away. His supper club format — with dinner, drinks and his musical and his comedy routines — was popular with local fans and visitors from around the world. The club's menu included the "One Pound Pork Chop," along with other selections.
His routine included corny jokes and wild hat and costume routines that Dee was noted for. A lover of animals, Dee often included his pet dogs (particularly one black poodle he owned named "Miss Muffett") in his routine, with the dogs barking along with some of his numbers.
His television credits include appearances on Toast of the Town with Ed Sullivan, 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...
with Jack Paar, The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
, and later Nashville Now
Nashville Now
Nashville Now is a television talk show that focused on country music performers. It aired live weeknights on The Nashville Network from 1983-1993. The host was Nashville TV/radio personality Ralph Emery. The show won several Emmy awards during its run. A frequent guest and substitute host was...
. Dee even had his own show in the mid-50s on WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida called Ladies' Day with Lenny Dee; it enjoyed a brief run.
Later years
Dee continued recording into the 1970s, adding a background orchestra in the late '60s as many other easy listening performers were doing at the time. By the late 1970s, Dee was in less demand. After recording 56 albums, he was finally dropped from the MCA label, along with many other easy listening artists.Dee spent the rest of his career at his night clubs and on tour, but the demand for his music continued to decline. In 1999, Dee played on a series of cruise ship tours. He retired in 2003. He died on February 12, 2006 in St. Petersburg.
Instruments
After his discharge from the Navy, Dee bought a HammondHammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
Model A organ. He later customized this instrument with a Hammond Solovox, a Maas-Rowe Vibrachord, and Leslie speakers (model 31-H). He also had a tape echo built into his organ, allowing him to create his trademark re-echo sound.
In the early 1960s, Dee recorded on a Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
organ overdubbed with his Hammond Model A. In 1967, he started recording on a Hammond X-66; in 1972, he switched to a Hammond Concorde. In the 1970s, he also recorded on Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
and Thomas organs. Other keyboards he used include the Hammond Piper, which he used for its trumpet and harpsichord sounds, and the ARP
ARP Instruments, Inc.
ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Best known for its line of synthesizers that emerged in the early 1970s, ARP closed its doors in 1981 due to financial difficulties...
synthesizer.
When he toured on a cruise ship towards the end of his life, he played a Hammond-Suzuki Elegante.
Posthumous releases
Since his death, three compilation CDs have been released. The first one is a two-disc set called Golden Organ Memories. More recently, Jasmine Music has released two additional compilations. One is called Double Dee-Light and features 48 tracks on two discs, including Plantation Boogie. This collection features songs from his earliest albums, including Dee-Lightful, Dee-Lirious, Dee-Licious, and Dee-Most!. The other compilation released by Jasmine is called In Dee-Mand and features 57 tracks on two discs. It include tracks from Hi-Dee Fi, Dee-Day, and Mr. Dee Goes to Town, as well as nine singles.Discography
- Dee-Lightful, Decca DL 8114
- Dee-Lirious, Decca DL 8165
- Dee-Licious, Decca DL 8275
- Dee-Most!, Decca DL 8308
- Hi-Dee-Fi, Decca DL 8406
- Mr. Dee Goes To Town, Decca DL 8497
- Dee-Beat! Decca ED 2552 (45 EP Album)
- Dee-Day!, Decca, DL 8628
- Dee-Frosting, Decca ED 2613 (45 EP Album)
- Dee-Latin Hi-Fi Organ, Decca DL 8718
- Mellow-Dee Decca, DL 78796
- Lenny Dee Plays The Hits, Decca DL 78857
- The Lenny Dee Show, Decca DL 78913
- Songs Everybody Knows, Decca DL 78978
- Golden Organ Favorites, Decca DL 74112
- Happy Holi-Dee, Decca DL 74146
- Lenny Dee In Hollywood, Decca DL 74315
- Lenny Dee Down South, Decca DL 74365
- By Popular Dee-Mand, Decca DL 74429
- Something Special, Decca DL 74498
- Most Requested!, Decca DL 74572
- Sweethearts On Parade, Decca DL 74632
- The Lenny Dee Tour, Decca DL 74654
- My Favorite Things, Decca DL 74706
- In The Mood, Decca DL 74818
- Moving On!, Decca DL 74880
- Relaxin', Decca DL 74946
- Gentle On My Mind, Decca DL 74994
- The Best Of Lenny Dee, Decca DL DXSB 7199 (Double Record Set)
- Turn Around, Look At Me, Decca DL 75073
- Little Green Apples, Decca DL 75112
- Here's Lenny Dee At The Organ, Vocalion VL 73782
- Spinning Wheel, Decca DL 75152
- Easy Come, Easy Go, Decca DL 75196
- Remember Me, Decca DL 75255
- Easy Loving, Decca DL 75320
- Where Is The Love, Decca DL 75366
- Organ Special, Vocalion VL 73817
- Organ Varieties, Vocalion VL 73819
- Double Star Series Featuring Lenny Dee & Earl Grant, MCA Special Products 734702
- Lenny Dee, MCA MCA 334
- Lenny Dee, MCA MCA 379
- Steppin' Out With Lenny Dee, MCA MCA 455
- City Lights, MCA MCA 476
- The Best Of Lenny Dee Vol.II, MCA MCA2 4084 (Double Record Set)
- Lenny Dee Featuring I'll Play For You, MCA MCA 2162
- Take It To The Limit, MCA MCA 2200
- Misty Blue, MCA MCA 2236
- Organ Magic, MCA MCA 2301
- Organ Celebration, MCA MCA 2370
- Treasury Of Favorites, Suffolk Marketing, Inc. SMI I-74
- Melodies Of Love, Suffolk Marketing, Inc. SMI I-75
Reissues
- Golden Organ Memories, Good Music Record Company MSD2 37209 (2 CD Set)
- Double Dee-Light, Jasmine JASCD 427 (2 CD Set)
- In Dee-Mand, Jasmine (2 CD set)
Videography
- Mr. Entertainer: The Lenny Dee Show, (no video company name) (video, app. 90 min.)
- Mr. Entertainer II, (no video company name) (video)
- Lenny Dee: The Man And His Music, Showcase Productions SP 111 (video, 95 min.)