Marlene VerPlanck
Marlene Paula VerPlanck (née Pampinella; born November 11, 1933)[1] is an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centers on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret.
Life and career
VerPlanck was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey.[1] She was married to trombonist and arranger J. William (Billy) VerPlanck (1930–2009) for 52 years — from 1955 until 2009, when he died.[1][2]
Her debut album, I Think of You with Every Breath I Take, was released in 1955 when she was 21, and featured Hank Jones, Joe Wilder, Wendell Marshall, Kenny Clarke, and Herbie Mann (uncredited).[3][4] VerPlanck then went to work as a vocalist for Charlie Spivak's band, and later sang with the Tommy Dorsey band.[5][6]
Despite a long and successful career, often as a studio backing vocalist, she did not release another solo album until Marlene VerPlanck Loves Johnny Mercer in 1979. Since then she has released many, mostly on the Audiophile label, and has toured extensively as a soloist.
VerPlanck was a prolific studio vocalist for jingles, which included singing an arrangement of the 1930s Campbell's Soup "M'm M'm Good" song.[1][7]
Discography
Solo
- I Think of You with Every Breath I Take (1955, Savoy) (released under "Marlene")
- This Happy Feeling (1969, Mounted) with Billy VerPlank
- Marlene VerPlanck Loves Johnny Mercer (1979, Audiophile)
- A Quiet Storm (1989, Audiophile)
- Pure and Natural (1992, Audiophile)
- Marlene Verplanck Sings Alec Wilder (1992, Audiophile)
- Live! in London (1993, Audiophile)
- A Breath of Fresh Air (1993, Audiophile)
- Marlene VerPlanck Meets Saxomania in Paris (1994, Audiophile)
- A New York Singer (1996, Audiophile)
- You Gotta Have Heart: Marlene Sings Richard Adler (1997, Varèse Sarabande)
- I Like To Sing! (1998, Audiophile)
- What Are We Going to Do With All This Moonlight? (1999, Audiophile)
- A Warmer Place (1999, Audiophile)
- You'd Better Love Me (1999, Audiophile)
- My Impetuous Heart (2000, DRG)
- It's How You Play the Game (2003, Audiophile)
- Speaking of Love (2002, Audiophile) (as Marlene and Billy VerPlanck)
- Now! (2005, Audiophile)
- My Impetuous Heart (2007, Audiophile)
- Once There Was a Moon (2008, Audiophile)
- One Dream at a Time (2010, Audiophile)
- Ballads, Mostly (2013, Audiophile)
- The Mood I'm In (2015, Audiophile)
As guest vocalist
With J. J. Johnson
- Goodies (RCA Victor, 1965)
With the John LaSalle Quartet
References
- 1 2 3 4 Marc Myers (January 10, 2013). "Interview: Marlene VerPlanck". JazzWax. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑
- The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, edited by Leonard Feather & Ira Gitler, Oxford University Press, p. 665 (1999) OCLC 38746731
- ↑ Gayle (November 29, 2012). "Marlene VerPlanck". WUSF (University of South Florida). Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Scott Yanow. "I Think of You with Every Breath I Take". Allmusic. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Third edition, eight volumes, edited by Colin Larkin, Muze, London (1998) OCLC 39837948
- ↑ Singing Jazz: The Singers and Their Styles, by Bruce Crowther (born 1933), Mike Pinfold, Miller Freeman, Inc., San Francisco, p. 240 (1997) OCLC 38562293, LCCN 98193811.
- ↑ John S. Wilson, Familiar TV Voice Sings on 8th Street, New York Times, May 30, 1918.