Kay Kyser
| Kay Kyser | |
|---|---|
Kay Kyser in the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Kern Kyser |
| Born |
June 18, 1905 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1985 (aged 80) Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Big band, swing, Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, bandleader |
| Years active | 1926–1950 |
James Kern "Kay" Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985) was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.
Kay Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster (Howell) Kyser. Journalist and newspaper editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin. Kyser graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was also senior class president. Because of his popularity and enthusiasm as a cheerleader, he was invited by Hal Kemp to take over as bandleader when Kemp ventured north to further his career. He began taking clarinet lessons but was better as an entertaining announcer than a musician. He adopted the initial of his middle name as part of his stage name, for its alliterative effect.
Long before his national success, Kyser recorded two sessions for Victor in the late 1920s (Camden, NJ in November, 1928 and Chicago in early 1929). These were issued on Victor's V-40000 series devoted to country music and regional dance bands.
Following graduation, Kyser and his band, which included Sully Mason on saxophone and arranger George Duning, toured Midwest restaurants and night clubs and gradually built a following. They were particularly popular at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant, where Kyser came up with an act combining a quiz with music which became "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge." The act was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1938 and then moved to NBC Radio from 1939 to 1949. The show rose in the ratings and spawned many imitators. Kyser led the band as "The Ol' Perfessor," spouting catchphrases, some with a degree of Southern American English terms: "That's right—you're wrong", "Evenin' folks, how y'all?" and "C'mon, chillun! Le's dance!"
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