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There was a wealth of vocal talent on the scene in the swing and bop
eras. Some of it came from instrumentalists who sang mainly as a novelty, like Dizzy Gillespie. Even Duke Ellington was known to sing on occasion; he accompanied himself on an acetate of "I've Got To Be a Rug Cutter" as a gift to Leonard in the mid-'40s. Other musicians such as Louis Armstrong and most notably Nat Cole , became better known as singers than as players. When Cole recorded "The Christmas Song" with strings in 1946, he gained worldwide recognition from a mass audience that hadn't been familiar with the ultra-cool music his trio had performed since '39.
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It was Les Brown's band that started Doris Day on the road to commercial success,
and John Kirby's that introduced Maxine Sullivan, who had a hit with "Loch Lomond."
Kenton singers June Christy and Anita O'Day popularized a new smoky sound, and
topped the jazz polls in the late'40s. At that point, one of the best-known singers
who ever fronted a big band - Ella Fitzgerald - had already been triumphing in both
the jazz and pop worlds for over a decade.
Duke Ellington plays and sings
"I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter" on a 78 made for Leonard (the only copy)
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