Sammy Kaye led one of the popular swing orchestras of the 1930s and 1940s. He started his first band in 1933, and by 1937 he was broadcasting with a radio show called "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye." His group had a reputation for a smoother, vocal-heavy sound compared to some of the brassier swing bands of the era.
In 1949, his orchestra recorded "Lavender-Blue (Dilly Dilly)," a song from the Disney film "So Dear to My Heart." It became a major hit for him. Other songs in his catalog include "It Had To Be You," "Walkin' To Missouri," and "I Left My Heart At The Stage Door Canteen."
He performed with his orchestra for decades, touring into the 1970s. The band's recordings from the swing era, with their emphasis on melody and vocals, remain part of the period's musical landscape.
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