Margaret Whiting

Margaret Whiting
Margaret Whiting in New York, 1940s
Background information
Birth name	Margaret Eleanor Whiting
Born	(1924-07-22)July 22, 1924 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died	January 10, 2011(2011-01-10) (aged 86) Englewood, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Jazz, traditional pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1942–2010
Labels	Capitol, Dot, Verve, London, Audiophile, DRG
Website	Musical biography of Margaret Whiting

Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was a singer of American popular music and country music who first made her reputation during the 1940s and 1950s.

Whiting was born in Detroit, but her family moved to Los Angeles in 1929, when she was five years old. Her father, Richard, was a composer of popular songs, including the classics "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?", and "On the Good Ship Lollipop". Her sister, Barbara Whiting, was an actress (Junior Miss, Beware, My Lovely) and singer.

An aunt, Margaret Young, was a singer and popular recording artist in the 1920s. In her childhood, Whiting's singing ability had already been noticed, and at the age of only seven she sang for singer-lyricist Johnny Mercer, with whom her father had collaborated on some popular songs ("Too Marvelous for Words"). In 1942, Mercer co-founded Capitol Records and signed Margaret to one of Capitol's first recording contracts.

Whiting's first recordings were as featured singer with various orchestras:

In 1945, Whiting began to record under her own name, making such recordings as:

Until the mid-1950s Whiting continued to record for Capitol, but as she ceased to record songs that charted as hits, she switched to Dot Records in 1957 and to Verve Records in 1960. Whiting returned to Capitol in the early 1960s and then signed with London Records in 1966. On London, Whiting landed one last major hit single in 1966, "The Wheel of Hurt", which hit #1 on the Easy Listening singles chart. Her final solo albums were made for Audiophile (1980, 1982, 1985) and DRG Records (1991). Her distinguished conductors and musical arrangers through the years included Buddy Bregman, Frank DeVol, Russell Garcia, Johnny Mandel, Billy May, Marty Paich, Nelson Riddle, Pete Rugolo, and Paul Weston.