Snooky Lanson
Encyclopedia
Roy Landman better known as Snooky Lanson, was an American singer known for co-starring on the NBC television series Your Hit Parade
.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
, Lanson was a band singer with Francis Craig
's dance band before joining Hit Parade from 1950 through 1957, chosen to replace Frank Sinatra
. Floor manager Fred Rogers said that Lanson often played craps behind the set with the stage hands until it was his turn to perform.
After Hit Parade ended, he performed in nightclubs and on local television shows in Atlanta and Shreveport. He guest-starred in 1958 on The Gisele MacKenzie Show
, MacKenzie
having been a co-star with Lanson on Hit Parade. In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts on the NBC-TV program Five Star Jubilee
.
In January 1960, Crossroads TV Productions
videotaped a pilot
in Springfield, Missouri
for a proposed pop music-variety series called Snooky Lanson Time. Guests were Brenda Lee
, the Anita Kerr
Singers, Betty Ann Grove
and Paul Mitchell's instrumental combo. He spent the 1960s to the 1980s as a Chrysler car salesman in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Lanson died in 1990 at age 76 in New York. He was survived by his widow, a daughter, two sons and eight grandchildren.
Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Lanson was a band singer with Francis Craig
Francis Craig
Francis Craig was a songwriter and leader of a Nashville dance band. His works included "Dynamite" and "Near You"."Dynamite!" now the official fight song of Vanderbilt University, was written by Craig in 1922, when Craig was an undergraduate student at the University...
's dance band before joining Hit Parade from 1950 through 1957, chosen to replace 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...
. Floor manager Fred Rogers said that Lanson often played craps behind the set with the stage hands until it was his turn to perform.
After Hit Parade ended, he performed in nightclubs and on local television shows in Atlanta and Shreveport. He guest-starred in 1958 on The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show
The Gisele MacKenzie Show in an American variety show hosted by Gisele MacKenzie. The series aired live on NBC from September 28, 1957, to March 29, 1958. The Curfew Kids appeared on the program as semi-regulars....
, MacKenzie
Gisele MacKenzie
Gisèle MacKenzie was a Canadian-American singer, most famous for her performances on the popular television program Your Hit Parade.-Biography:...
having been a co-star with Lanson on Hit Parade. In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts on the NBC-TV program Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee
Five Star Jubilee was an American country music variety show carried by NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a spin-off of ABC-TV's Jubilee USA, was the first network color television series to originate outside New York City or Hollywood.From March 17 to May 5, the...
.
In January 1960, Crossroads TV Productions
Ralph D. Foster
Ralph David Foster , was an American broadcasting pioneer and philanthropist who created the framework for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as the nation's country music capital during the 1950s...
videotaped a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
for a proposed pop music-variety series called Snooky Lanson Time. Guests were Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, the Anita Kerr
Anita Kerr
Anita Jean Grilli , known profesioanlly as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.-Nashville:Kerr was born in Memphis, Tennessee...
Singers, Betty Ann Grove
Betty Ann Grove
Betty Ann Grove is an American actress and singer. A petite redhead with a powerful voice, she recorded in the 1950s. In 1950, she debuted on Broadway in the 1948 original production of Kiss Me Kate, playing Lois Lane/Bianca, a lead role that was originated by Lisa Kirk...
and Paul Mitchell's instrumental combo. He spent the 1960s to the 1980s as a Chrysler car salesman in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Lanson died in 1990 at age 76 in New York. He was survived by his widow, a daughter, two sons and eight grandchildren.