Bea Wain

Bea Wain had an average build, with black hair and brown eyes. Born on April 30, 1917, in The Bronx, New York City, she grew into one of the defining voices of the Big Band era. As an American singer of Caucasian ethnicity, she rose to fame in the late 1930s singing with Larry Clinton and His Orchestra. Her recordings of "My Reverie," "Deep Purple," and "Heart and Soul" became major hits, and "My Reverie" topped the charts for eight weeks in 1938.

Wain's career began early. She debuted on radio at age six on the NBC Children's Hour. As an adult, she sang regularly on shows like The Larry Clinton Show, Monday Merry-Go-Round, Starlight Serenade, and Your Hit Parade. She also led the vocal group Bea and the Bachelors. In 1939, Billboard Magazine voted her Female Band Vocalist of the Year, beating Ella Fitzgerald. That same year, she made history by being the first artist to record "Over the Rainbow," though MGM delayed its release until after The Wizard of Oz opened.

After leaving Clinton's orchestra, Wain focused on radio, though she enjoyed later chart successes like "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" and "My Sister and I." Together with her husband, announcer Andre Baruch, she co-hosted radio programs from the 1940s to the 1980s, including the syndicated recreation of Your Hit Parade. Wain died on August 19, 2017, in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 100, leaving behind a legacy as one of the era's most beloved vocalists.