Judd Conlon: Difference between revisions

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'''JuddJustin "JudJudd" Conlon''' (born '''Justin Norbert Conlon'''; June 16, 1910 -– July 28, 1966) was aan American vocal arranger and conductor.<ref name=obit>{{cite journal|title=Variety|journal=Variety|date=August 3, 1966|accessdate=December 1, 2015}}</ref>

HeConlon was born in 1910 in [[Cuba City, Wisconsin]] as Justin N. Conlon.<ref name=imdb>{{cite web|title=Internet Movie Database|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174845/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm|website=www,imdb.com|accessdate=December 1, 2015}}</ref> He relocated to [[Dubuque, Iowa]], where he attended Columbia Academy and [[Loras College|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 &nbsp;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 Iowa radio stations WMT- in Cedar Rapids, WHO- in Des Moines, and WOC- in Davenport.

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 recordingrecordings with themthe wasgroup were "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]].<ref name="auto">{{cite journal|last1=McQuade|first1=Martin|title=Zing a Little Zong|journal=BING magazineMagazine|date=Winter 2007|pages=36-42|accessdate=December 1, 201536–42}}</ref>

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, Conlonhe 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 profondo|basso profundo]], plus Charlie Parlato as first tenor, heConlon 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.<ref name="auto"/>

Probably theThe formation of theConlon's teamgroup was likely hastened by the sudden departure of [[The Charioteers]] as [[Bing Crosby]]’s's vocalists on his weekly vocalistsradio program toward the end of the first [[Philco Radio Time|Philco]] season in March, 1947. Several of the first season’sseason's final shows featured an unknown chorus that may have been the singers in the still unnamed group. Jud Conlon’sConlon'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.)<ref name="auto"/>

The Rhythmaires had launched an association with Crosby that would continue for almost a decade in overmore than 230 broadcasts and over 40 recordings. TheyThe group even helped to sell [[Minute Maid]]. The TheirRhythmaires' first commercial recording with himCrosby wastook place on December 3rd3, 1947, when "[[Ballerina (Sidney Keith Russell and Carl Sigman song)|Ballerina]]" was laid down. Other notable recordings were "Home Cookin", "[[Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo]]", "[[Teddy Bears' Picnic]]", "[[It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas|It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas]]", "[[Zing a Little Zong]]", and "Road to Bali".<ref name="auto"/>

Sometimes the Rhythmaires would be expanded into either The Jud Conlon Singers (e.g. "Stay Well", "Sorry") or The Jud Conlon Choir (e.g. "The Loneliness of Evening", "[[More I Cannot Wish You]]", "We Meet Again".). The Rhythmaires’Rhythmaires' final recordings with Crosby were made in April, 1956, for the [[MCA Records|Decca]] LP ''[[Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around|Songs I Wish I Had Sung]]''.<ref name="auto"/>

The Rhythmaires also furnished background vocals for Crosby in [[Walt Disney]]’s ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad|The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]'' (from ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]''), released in 1949.<ref name="auto"/>

After the conclusion of Philco Radio Time in 1949, Thethe Rhythmaires continued with Crosby throughout his weekly [[The Bing Crosby – Chesterfield Show|Chesterfield]] radio series whchthat ran until 1952. Each week theythe group sang the cigarette’s "Sound Off" jingle.<ref name="auto"/>

Crosby had used Conlon to make arrangements and vocal backgrounds for his radio series, and Conlon went on to work for [[Andy Williams]] and [[Guy Lombardo]]. In the mid-1950s, Conlonhe began collaborating with satirist, [[Stan Freberg]]. His arrangements appeared on nearly all Freberg's comedy records, as well as on his ''Stan Freberg Radio Show''. He also worked on the television program ''[[Frankie Laine Time]]''.

Conlon also served as a musical arranger for Walt Disney. Among his credits are the Disney movies ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1951), ''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'' (1953), and ''[[Babes in Toyland (1961 film)|Babes in Toyland]]'' (1961).

==Personal life==

HeConlon married Charlotte Manley. and together theyThey had one son, Michael Conlon. Conlon died on July 28, 1966, in [[Chicago, Illinois]] at the age of 56. He was found dead in his Chicago hotel room of an apparent heart attack. He had been there as a delegate to the convention of American Federation of TV and Radio Artists. A requiem Mass was held a few days later at [[Saint Victor Catholic Church (West Hollywood, California)|St. Victor's Roman Catholic Church]] in West Hollywood.<ref name=obit/>

* ''[[The Judy Garland Show]]'' (1963-641963–64) (CBS TV) (Choral Arrangements) Credited as The Jud Conlon Singers.

* ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1951) (music arranger: vocal arrangements)

*[[Here Comes Elmer]] (1943) (writer: "Hitch Old Dobbin to the Shay Again")

* Cha-Cha-Cha Boom! (1956)<ref name=imdb/> (as The Judd Conlon Group) .... Himself

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