With a distinctive stylederived from black singers, Laine was one of the most popular male vocalists ofthe 1950s. He recorded hit after hit during that decade. But it was his movietitle songs that still live on. To wit: “Blowing Wild” (1953); “Strange Lady inTown” and “Man Without a Star” (both 1955); “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” and“3:10 to Yuma”(both 1957); “Triple Cross” (1966), and “Blazing Saddles” (1974). Each wassingularly descriptive of the film.
The legendary Laine alsohit it big with “Rawhide” and “Bullwhip” from ’60s TV series, as well as “HighNoon” from the classic 1952 movie (though Tex Ritterfather of late TV starJohn Rittersang the latter’s Academy Award-winning theme in the film).
What alwaysdistinguished Laine’s movie title vocals was their ability to set the mood. Inhis case, the songs usually were heard over the opening credits, during thefilm and at the end. They left a lasting impression.
Laine’sAscent
Prolific songwriterHoagy Carmichael “discovered” Laine singing Carmichael’s “Old Rocking Chair” ina Los Angelesnightclub in the 1940s. The singer began his ascent in 1947 with “That’s MyDesire” on the Mercury label, a song that rose to No. 4 on the pop charts.
Laine patterned hisstyle on tunes such as “Shine” (1949) after great black vocalists like BillyEckstine, Big Joe Turner and Jimmy Rushing. As a result, the big-voiced, formersupper club jazz and pops belter was the first to be dubbed a “blue-eyed soulsinger.”
Becoming known as “Mr.Rhythm,” Laine charted three No. 1 hits in America: “That Lucky Old Sun” and“Mule Train” (both 1949) and “Cry of the Wild Goose” (1950). In 1953, he hadthree chart-toppers in the United Kingdom: “I Believe” (which was No. 1 for 18weeks), “Answer Me” and “Hey, Joe.”
In 1951, after joiningColumbia Records, Laine had a two-sided, top-five hit with “Jezebel” backed by“Rose, Rose, I Love You.” During the balance of the ’50s, his top-10 hitsincluded “Tell Me a Story,” “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “Cool Water,” “Jealousy,” “Onthe Sunny Side of the Street,” “High Noon,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky,”“Moonlight Gambler,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Granada” and “Love Is a GoldenRing.”
Owing to his soaringpopularity, Laine hosted three of his own television shows in the mid-1950s. Inaddition to his title songs in seven films, he also appeared in seven movies: Make Believe Ballroom (1949), When You’re Smiling (1950), Sunny Side of the Street (1951), Rainbow ’Round My Shoulder (1952), Bring Your Smile Along (1955), He Laughed Last (1956) and Meet Me in Las Vegas (also 1956).
Laine remains a keyfigure in popular music and, for my money, was A-number-one, top of the heap inmovie vocals. As an almost insatiable fan of vintage films, I never tire ofwatching videodiscs, VCR tapes and DVDs of the memorable flicks to which helent his unique voice and song stylings.
During his 70-yearcareer, Laine made countless single records. Incredibly, his many albums, includingretrospectives of his music, were released on 47 different labels. On his 80thbirthday in 1993, the U.S. Congress declared Laine a “national treasure.”
Laine’s final recording,“Taps/My Buddy,” was released shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,2001, and dedicated to New York Cityfirefighters. Despite a stroke, he made his last appearance in “My Music” in2005 on PBS. Laine passed away Feb. 6, 2007, in San Diego at the age of 93.
