Helen Grayco

Helen Grayco
Grayco on the cover of Down Beat magazine, 1951
Background information
Birth name	Helen Greco
Born	(1924-09-20) September 20, 1924 (age 92) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Traditional pop
Occupation(s)	Actress, Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1932-1968
Associated acts	Chuck Cabot, Red Nichols, Stan Kenton, Spike Jones

Helen Grayco (born Helen Greco September 20, 1924) was an American singer, performer, and actress during the 1930s until the 1960s.

She was most famous for appearances with husband Spike Jones on The Spike Jones Show in the 1950s and the 1960s. She is also the mother of actor and producer Spike Jones, Jr. and Leslie Ann Jones, a Grammy award-winning recording engineer.

Grayco was born Helen Greco on September 20, 1924 in Tacoma, Washington. She was the tenth of eleven children born to parents Battiste and Rosina "Rose" Greco. She had five brothers; John, Ralph, George, Anthony and James, and five sisters; Mary, Carmella, Katherina, Theresa and Elizabeth. Her parents were Roman Catholics and Grayco and her siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith. Her parents were also both Italian. Grayco's father owned a grocery store which bankrupt during the Great Depression.

Grayco got her first singing gig when she was 8-years-old in the early 1930s. The gig was singing for a show called The Carnival Hour. The Carnival Hour was a variety show that aired on local Los Angeles radio station KHJ. Grayco was then hired to do an appearance on a local variety program in Seattle, Washington. Shortly after, she was discovered by Bing Crosby. Crosby and his brothers, who were also all natives of Tacoma, heard her on the program and reportedly Crosby said that "...she sings Hollywood!" Crosby gave her a job in Hollywood and soon later her family moved to Los Angeles. She began to earn a weekly income of $75 a week.