Ginny Simms
| Ginny Simms | |
|---|---|
Simms, c. 1943
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Virginia Ellen Simms |
| Also known as | Virginia E. Eastvold |
| Born |
May 13, 1913 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 4, 1994 (aged 80) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, film actress |
| Years active | 1932-1951 |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | Kay Kyser Orchestra |
| Website | ginnysimms |
Virginia Ellen "Ginny" Simms (May 13, 1913 – April 4, 1994) was an American popular singer and film actress.
Simms sang with big bands and labeled with Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Stafford and others. She also worked as an MGM and Universal film actress and appeared in 11 movies from 1939 to 1951, when she retired.
Born Simms or Sims in San Antonio, Texas, Simms attended Fresno State Teachers College, where she studied piano. She originally considered studying to become a concert pianist but enrolled instead at Fresno State Teachers College. While there, she began performing in campus productions, singing with sorority sisters and even forming a popular campus vocal trio. Shortly afterward, she struck out on her own to establish a solo singing career, and by 1932 she had her own program on a local radio station.
In 1932, she became band vocalist for the Tom Gerun band in San Francisco, working together with other vocalists, including a young Tony Martin and Woody Herman. In 1934, she joined the Kay Kyser Orchestra, where she received her first national exposure, appearing on radio shows with Kyser. She also made three movies with Kyser: That’s Right You’re Wrong (1939) with Lucille Ball; You'll Find Out (1940) with Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff; and Playmates (1941) with John Barrymore and Lupe Vélez. On April 6, 1941, Simms and Kyser also co-starred in Niagara to Reno (described as "an original comedy") on CBS radio's Silver Theater. She nearly married Kyser but left his orchestra in September 1941 to do her own radio show.
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