1960's Crooners

Sir Tom Jones, seven inch penis.

Eartha Kitt was one of the most beautiful women in the world

R1 Maybe, but I feel like crooners are more American

You’re asking solely about crooners from 1960?

Benentt???

I fail to see that, R2.

Jo

You forgot the best, Andy Williams. Females aren't crooners. They're torch singers. Julie London was the best of the females in that category.

Her name is Julie

Grew up with Nate King Cole. Remember my Mum & Dad in their 80's slow dancing around the living room to.....

well that's an ooopsie

What does 80 possess?

The word "crooner" is used erroneously here.

First of all, crooners are men.

The singing style of someone like Eartha Kit has nothing to do with the genre. Nor Sarah Vaughn nor Ray Charles.

Rosie

[quote]Maybe, but I feel like crooners are more American

The British crooner was Matt Munro.

Tom Jones? No..

You know how certain recordings by certain singers from the classic period stick in your head even if they aren’t very good?

For a while I was obsessed by Don Cornell’s version of “Kingdom of Heaven,” which is played throughout the 1954 movie “Susan Slept Here.”

Also Johnny Mathis singing the title them to “The Best of Everything,”

Vic Damone singing the title tune to “An Affair to Remember,”

Patti Page” singing “Old Cape Cod,”

and Frank Sinatra singing “Baubles, Bangles and Beads.”

At various times I played them over and over again until I got them out of my system.

Rosemary Clooney has nothing to do with the subject of the thread. Nor does Lena Horne nor does Jo Stafford.

Mel "The Velvet Fog" Torme

Vaughn Monroe

Having sailed on QE2 and many fond memories onboard QM in LB. Love this..

Jack Jones- the most beautiful male voice of that era.

Sarah Vaughan is not a crooner.

Vaughan, Kitt, and Charles are similar jazzy styles.

Kitt could handle her own with all these men

[quote]Kitt could handle her own with all these men

She really couldn't.

Most of her famous songs were novelty type numbers. That's what she was known for. She was a club act. She was never considered to be a serious singer.

If you're talking 60's I'd add Al Martino.

Great true crooner, PERRY COMO.

That whole crew of Italian-Americans: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Martino, Tony Bennett, Jerry Vale, Vic Damone, Buddy Greco, Julius La Rosa...

Those were classic crooners.

Oops forgot Perry Como....add him to the list at R28

R17, in the case of Lena Horne, she may have been a crooner ; )

Eartha Kitt was NOT a "crooner." The only female singer who could croon, on the rare occasions she chose to, has been k.d. lang. The divine Miss Kitt was fundamentally a witty, personality-forward nightclub/cabaret singer whose main thrust was not plaintive, assertive-but-vulnerable, direct heart-exposing murmuring or breaking-through-the-clouds glories of crooners. As R25 said, she was a "club act" first.

But she was, indeed, considered to be a "serious" singer, because her intonation, understanding, persona, command of her vocal instrument and attitude couldn't be gotten around. She may not have sung "serious" songs, but she was as A-list chanteuse, a spicy version of Blossom Dearie.

In short, crooners are never unique, individualistic performers, even though the best have their own tactics. Crooning is a sub-genre with its own rules.

Sinatra was the greatest, followed by the early Bing Crosby. They and the others worked within the conventions.

R11 We know who Julie cried a river over..

[quote]But she was, indeed, considered to be a "serious" singer, because her intonation, understanding, persona, command of her vocal instrument and attitude couldn't be gotten around. She may not have sung "serious" songs, but she was as A-list chanteuse, a spicy version of Blossom Dearie.

Ok, maybe I was a little hash there. I agree: "an A-list chanteuse, a spicy version of Blossom Dearie."

Tony Bennett. I'm biased as a native San Franciscan who grew up listening to him, but this man had a crooner's career like no other. He never lost the gift, even in early dementia. A great crooner doesn't just sing, he tells a story. Rich, lyrical, romantic, intimate, a master of phrasing, interpretation, rhythm, Bennett had it all.

Dinah Washington was a 1960s chanteuse who deserves recognition here, as was Nancy Wilson.

For me personally, if I had to rank them, it's Frank, Tony, Jack Jones.

Late career Perry Como was poked fun at, but in his prime he could be magnificent.

This is classic crooning. Effortless. Classy. The restrained pathos. It's perfection:

Bennett, Mathis, Sinatra, Vaughn.

Neither Johnny Mathis nor Sarah Vaughan are crooners, R38.

Johnny Mathis wasn't a crooner. Too affected to be a crooner. Wonderful all the same.

Johnny Mathis is the only one on that list that's still alive!

When I saw this thread title I thought it said, "1960's Coroners."

I respond if you give me cash money. Not all has been told!

"Look What I Found" by Vic Damone, which is actually a good song even if the Scopitone is hilariously bizarre.

Women are not "crooners."

Nobody has mentioned Dick Haymes, one of the greatest crooners, but mainly in the 40s and 50s.

I would also add Billy Eckstine!

[quote]In short, crooners are never unique, individualistic performers, even though the best have their own tactics.

Good point.

R46 I don't understand this point. Rudy Vallee and Frank Sinatra are supposed to be very similar, in this theory?

Sinatra is like the most overrated singer ever. I love him but ....

[quote] In short, crooners are never unique, individualistic performers, even though the best have their own tactics. Crooning is a sub-genre with its own rules.

This is a good description. It's also why I hesitate to rank Sinatra first because although he started off as a crooner, he became a legend. A crooner disappears into the song, the story. Sinatra got too big with too much baggage to do this. He wanted to be a movie star that sang, not a singer in movies.

Many on the list are not really crooners. Sarah Vaughn was a jazz singer sheesh.

Plus, she was a woman.

I don't think Sinatra was overrated.

The definition of "crooner" is so elastic one might as well say "male solo singer."

R19 understood the assignment.

[quote]A crooner disappears into the song, the story.

Sinatra was a master at that.

R40, You missed your opportunity!

You meant to say "Wonderful, wonderful, all the same." 😉

I love Matt Monro.

Does Engelbert Humperdinck count?

R54 OP said '60's crooners.

Crosby was FIRST, Sinatra second.

R59 Russ Columbo was somewhere in there.

R53 Because wikipedia is the fount of wisdom, the final opinion, the source of all knowledge, the authority. Thousands of little fingers typing couldn't be wrong.

R37 That was wonderful. Perry gets forgotten these days because he didn't have the whole Rat Pack swagger thing, but he was ubiquitous back then. And very talented.

R58, "50s and 60s." Vaughn Monroe was still singing in the 1950s.

Fine, r61. We'll strip the definition down.

R62 Perry didn't swing, as a singer. I like him but his music is harder to relate to for a lot of people now. Hot diggety boom zigitty.

He had a great voice, though.

1972. The popularity of the crooner was fast fading.

But listen to Bobby Darin sing the shit out of this song. "Happy" by Michel Legrand. A beautiful melody.

This is impeccable singing. Phrasing. It's just stunning.

I liked Bobby Darin a lot. He wrote as well as sang Dream Lover.

Sharah Vaughan wash a jazzh shinger shsheeshsh!

R57 thanks for that song and singer. Never heard either. That's a wicked cool song.