De Fore taught dancing and Maye taught singing. During this period, the couple operated a children's dance studio in Kansas City. Īfter marrying De Fore, Maye relocated permanently to Kansas City. De Fore became the opening act in her shows. At the hotel she met dancer Jimmy De Fore, whom she later married. Among her Midwest gigs was the President Hotel, located in the downtown district of Kansas City, Missouri. She then embarked as a solo performer throughout the Midwest United States, including nightclubs in Chicago, Illinois. There she performed with combos and orchestras. Career 1947–1961: Early career in the Midwest įollowing high school graduation, Maye became a staff vocalist for WHAS radio in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1946, Marilyn graduated from East High School in Des Moines. She often skipped her high school Spanish class so she could make regular radio appearances. She had own her weekly radio program during her teenage years in Iowa. Because Marilyn was underage, her mother kept a book where she recorded the false ages of her daughter so she could remember to tell it to agents. By age 13, she was performing inside ballrooms often singing big band music. Her mother relocated to Des Moines, Iowa and Marilyn moved with her. In her childhood, Marilyn's parents divorced. In 1939, she performed in a children's revue program in Topeka's Jayhawk Theatre. This led to her landing a 13-week radio spot on WIBW and she earned a total of three dollars. Īt age nine, Marilyn won a Topeka talent contest. She also had Maye train with a classical vocal coach in Topeka. Lyla McLaughlin had her daughter begin singing and dancing at age three. "Mother was a very strong lady, so thank God I had talent, because she was determined to make me a singer," she told Theatre Mania in 2007. During this period, her mother encouraged her daughter to sing and perform. Her father was a pharmacist who relocated the family to nearby Topeka where he ran a drugstore. Maye's cousin was Broadway actress Joy Hodges. She was named for Marilyn Miller, a 1920s singer and performer. Marilyn Maye McLaughlin was born in Wichita, Kansas to father Kenneth and mother Lyla McLaughlin. Maye recorded for RCA Victor during the 1960s, after which she has had a successful career as a cabaret singer. She is the most frequently heard singer on the program, having appeared 76 times. After graduating from high school, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she drew the attention of Steve Allen, performing first on The Steve Allen Show and then The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She began her career as a young child, performing in Kansas in concerts and on the radio. Marilyn Maye McLaughlin (born April 10, 1928) is an American jazz singer, cabaret singer, and musical theater actress.
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