Harry Babbitt

Harry Babbitt
Harry Babbitt (1953)
Born	November 2, 1913 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	April 9, 2004 (aged 90) Aliso Viejo, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Singer
Known for	Singing with Kay Kyser's Orchestra
Spouse(s)	Betty
Children	3 sons

Harry Babbitt (November 2, 1913 – April 9, 2004) was an American singer and star during the Big Band era.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Babbitt organized his own band after high school, directing the group in addition to singing and playing saxophone and drums. Later, his work as announcer and soloist on a radio station in St. Louis caught the attention of bandleader Kay Kyser.

Babbitt joined the Kyser band in the winter of 1936. With Kyser he recorded several hits in his rich baritone. On some novelty tunes he adopted a high-pitched falsetto. Babbitt sang such hits as "Three Little Fishies," "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" and "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle," but his biggest hit was the cover of Vera Lynn's "White Cliffs of Dover". He also sang the Spike Jones holiday hit, "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" and did the laugh on Kyser's "Woody Woodpecker" song with vocalist Gloria Wood. He appeared as a regular on Kyser's radio program, Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and in seven movies with Kyser, including That's Right - You're Wrong (1939), Thousands Cheer (1943) and Carolina Blues (1944).

Babbitt served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946, then returned to Kyser's band, which he eventually left for good in 1949.

Babbitt was host of an early morning radio show, The Second Cup of Coffee Club on CBS. It ran 10 years in the 1940s and 1950s. He also co-starred with Mary Small on By Popular Demand, a weekly program on Mutual in 1945-1946.