Editing Sammy Kaye (section)

==Biography==
Kaye, born in [[Lakewood, Ohio]], United States,<ref name="Larkin50"/> graduated from [[Rocky River High School (Ohio)|Rocky River High School]] in [[Rocky River, Ohio]].<ref>Bona, Marc (February 12, 2012) [http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/02/sammy_kaye_your_2_pm_buckeye_b.html "Sammy Kaye: Your 2 p.m. Buckeye Bits A&E trivia"] [[The Plain Dealer]]</ref> At [[Ohio University]] in [[Athens, Ohio]] he was a member of [[Theta Chi]] fraternity. Kaye could play the saxophone and the clarinet, but he never featured himself as a soloist on either instrument.

A leader of one of the so-called "Sweet" bands of the Big Band Era, he made a large number of [[Gramophone record|records]] for [[Vocalion Records]], [[RCA Victor]], [[Columbia Records]], [[Bell Records]], and the American [[Decca Records|Decca]] [[record label]]. He was also a hit on radio. Kaye was known for an audience participation gimmick called "So You Want to Lead a Band?" where audience members would be called onto stage in an attempt to conduct the orchestra, with the possibility of winning batons.<ref name="Larkin50"/> Kaye was also known for his use of "singing of song titles", which was emulated by [[Kay Kyser]] and [[Blue Barron]].

He was the first to record and release "[[Blueberry Hill]]" in 1941, a song which became a standard in several genres, including pop, jazz, Big Band, Swing, and rock and roll.

He was also the first to record and release the classic song "[[Daddy (Sammy Kaye song)|Daddy]]" in 1941, which hit no. 1 and which was recorded by other bands and singers.

Shortly after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, Kaye wrote the music and Don Reid wrote the words to "[[Remember Pearl Harbor (song)|Remember Pearl Harbor]]", the tune of which was based on Ohio University's "Alma Mater". On December 17, 1941, RCA Victor recorded the song, with Sammy Kaye's Swing and Sway Band and The Glee Club. The 78 single was released in 1942, reaching no. 3 on the charts.

By 1955, Kaye was also featured five times a week on several national radio networks through the [[RCA Thesaurus]] transcription service.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BRwEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22RCA+Thesaurus%22&pg=PA27 The Billboard - Music Radio - "New Features Launch 20th Thesaurus Year" 7 May 1955 p. 27 on Google Books.cm]</ref>

His band members included [[Ralph Flanagan]].<ref name="Larkin50"/> Singers included [[Don Cornell]] (not related to Dale Cornell), Billy Williams (the [[country music]] singer with the Pecos River Rogues), [[Tommy Ryan]], Gary Willner, [[Barry Frank]], Tony Russo, and [[Nancy Norman]]. All members of the band sometimes sang backing vocals in various combination as the "Kaydets". Although his musicians were always competent, the jazz critic [[George T. Simon]] described them as "magnificently trained and exceedingly unoriginal".<ref name="Larkin50"/>