Judd Conlon

Judd "Jud" Conlon (1910 – July 28, 1966) was an American vocal arranger and conductor.

He was born in 1910 in Cuba City, Wisconsin as Justin N. Conlon. He relocated to Dubuque, Iowa, where he attended Columbia Academy and Columbia College. Conlon played the accordion and was active in musical groups including the Vested Choir directed by Father Alphonse Dress. This may have led to his mastery of vocal arranging. He played accordion at the Hilltop Casino until 4:00 a.m., slept, and then had to get up for his college classes. In high school he formed the Justin Conlon Orchestra. By the time he was in college, the group toured the Midwest and was often featured on WMT-Cedar Rapids, WHO-Des Moines, and WOC-Davenport.

Conlon's first major arranging work was with the Kay Kyser Orchestra.

In 1945, the Kay Kyser band was still at its peak. One of its main attractions was The Campus Kids, which Conlon had joined as a vocalist that July. His debut recording with them was "Choo Choo Polka" and "That’s for Me". At that time, the other Kids were Diane Pendleton, Donna Wood, Loulie Jean Norman, and Charlie Parlato.

Conlon, trained on the accordion and as a vocal arranger and conductor, had an ambition to form his own vocal group. In The Campus Kids, Conlon was exposed to two singers with a four octave range and perfect pitch, Loulie Jean Norman and Gloria Wood. With them and his own basso profundo, plus Charlie Parlato as first tenor, he had the makings of the new group he wanted. He assigned himself the baritone part, Norman was first or lead soprano, and Wood second soprano. He also recruited Mack McLean from the Six Hits and a Miss singing group as a second tenor.

Probably the formation of the team was hastened by the sudden departure of The Charioteers as Bing Crosby’s weekly vocalists toward the end of the first Philco season in March, 1947. Several of the first season’s final shows featured an unknown chorus that may have been the singers in the still unnamed group. Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires was christened and ready to go as recordings for the second Philco season commenced in August 1947. Conlon, Parlato, McLean and Norman bade farewell to The Campus Kids in December. (Gloria Wood remained with Kyser into 1948.)

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