Bob Eberly

Bob Eberly was a superior, if somewhat inflexible ballad singer during the swing era, best known for his association with <a href="spotify:artist:3xPpQCRiTBxgmL4PD8J5ek">Jimmy Dorsey</a>. He started his career by winning an amateur hour contest on the <a href="spotify:artist:3Krr0d6KTcQfy6Xdh2yXFN">Fred Allen</a> radio show and singing locally. When <a href="spotify:artist:5lP4FZO4ThhC9glGDwlgrV">Bob Crosby</a> left the Dorsey Brothers Band in 1935, Eberly (who had changed his name from Eberle) was hired. After Tommy and <a href="spotify:artist:3xPpQCRiTBxgmL4PD8J5ek">Jimmy Dorsey</a> soon split up, Eberly went with Jimmy and became a fixture with his orchestra for the next eight years through rough times and prosperity.

His deep voice and very straight delivery were an inspiration for <a href="spotify:artist:3BiJGZsyX9sJchTqcSA7Su">Dick Haymes</a> and indirectly for <a href="spotify:artist:1Mxqyy3pSjf8kZZL4QVxS0">Frank Sinatra</a>. Starting in December 1940, Eberly and <a href="spotify:artist:0uQXiLK3wKmucUs9fAKx4I">Helen O'Connell</a> (who had joined the band nearly two years earlier) teamed up regularly on records; Eberly would have a ballad chorus (he much preferred slow tempos) and then, after an instrumental interlude, <a href="spotify:artist:5fJ23krF2LH00QVoiAtXtH">O'Connell</a> would take a hotter chorus. Engineered originally by arranger <a href="spotify:artist:5EFIScLsj2sv8OO0ZF1VtS">Tutti Camarata</a> so both singers could be featured on <a href="spotify:artist:4IKhazN1C82QWCD2Oqwf3v">Dorsey</a>'s radio show, the combination clicked from the start, resulting in hit versions of "Amapola," "Tangerine," "Green Eyes" and "Maria Elena." Eberle was with <a href="spotify:artist:4IKhazN1C82QWCD2Oqwf3v">Dorsey</a> until December 1943, when he was drafted into the military. He was able to sing during the next two years with <a href="spotify:artist:04v8REUj6MUuNl8KN4iVTN">Wayne King</a>'s military group, but after his discharge, Eberly was never really able to get a very successful solo career going. He did continue working into the 1970s, and co-hosted a summer replacement television show with <a href="spotify:artist:0uQXiLK3wKmucUs9fAKx4I">Helen O'Connell</a> one year, but was largely forgotten. Ironically, Bob's younger brother <a href="spotify:artist:1ZFyAaDK4vvhDg3JeR8HiD">Ray Eberle</a>, who had much less of a voice, is today better remembered for his many ballad vocals with <a href="spotify:artist:2aAHdB5HweT3mFcRzm0swc">Glenn Miller</a>. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi