Rudy Vallee, America's First Singing Crooner, Came From Maine

I woke up this morning thinking of my next writing topic. I had about five ideas lined up when suddenly, from the deep part of my Maine subconsciousness, I thought of the nasal (maybe I am just coming down with a cold) beauty(?) that was part of the quirky singing style of Maine’s own Rudy Vallee. Had others written about Rudy? A quick check of other writer’s subjects told me no. I couldn’t believe my luck. It would be up to me to tell the world about our own Rudy Vallee. Rudy had been a famous singer, songwriter, and movie star. Besides doing the research, I would also have to listen to about an hour of YouTube videos on Rudy. My wife, for some reason, said I should do it with earphones clamped firmly on my head. When I asked why, she would only say, “ The neighbors...the neighbors.”

Rudy Vallee was actually born in Island Pond, Vermont as Hubert Vallee in 1901. His parents brought him to Westbrook, Maine where his father operated his own drugstore. Westbrook is a suburb of Portland and has long been a mill town. In the old days a saw mill, box factory, and corn for canning, factory, was located in this pretty Maine town. The S.D. Warren Paper Mill employed thousands over the years. Today, IDEXX Labs are here as well. It is a leading animal health care facility. Other Westbrook notables would be Kevin Eastman, cartoonist and co-creater of the Teenage Mutant Ninjh Turtles; Mark Chadbourne, composer. musician; and George (Piano Legs) Gore who played 14 seasons in the major leagues. But, if truth be told, some say old Piano Legs was born in Hartland, Maine.

Rudy was very musical as a youngster, playing the clarinet, drums, and saxophone. At the University of Maine, Rudy fell in love with the work of saxophonist, Rudy Wiedoeft, and would play his records over and over which is how he earned the nickname, Rudy. In his teens, Rudy was very patriotic and tried twice to join the Navy. But on both attempts his true age (15) was discovered and he was “mustered” out after serving about 40 days. Rudy had two stints at college, one at Maine and the other at Yale where he eventually graduated with a major in philosophy. Rudy is responsible for updating the Maine Stein Song. The song had originally been written by Adelbert Sprague and his roommate Lincoln Colcord. In 1929, Rudy put the Maine college on the map when he introduced the song on his radio program.

Rudy took a break from college and traveled to England where he worked with the Savoy Havana Band in London but returned home and to college. At Yale, he formed his own band called the Yale Collegians and made his musical debut on a broadcast from the Heigh Ho Club in New York City.

In the early radio days many radio stations would broadcast live music from various nightclubs. This would lead to the popularity of big band or swing music. Rudy and his group soon became a hit. Rudy’s first two recordings were “Nola”, and “A Dream”, both recorded in 1921. Rudy would record many songs that would one day become standards. They include “Goodnight Sweetheart”, “As Time Goes By”, “Would You Like To Take a Walk?”, and “Sweet Lorraine.” He was popular with everyone. When Tom Mix (cowboy star) was killed in an auto accident in 1940, Rudy sang “Empty Saddles” at the funeral.

In the late twenties, Rudy became the star of a variety radio show called The Fleischman's Yeast Hour. To capitalize on his success, he made his first movie, The Vagabond Lover in 1929. Here, unfortunately, I have to interject a negative note concerning our Maine hero. Rudy was not al all popular with the crew that worked on his radio show. His ego often got the best of him and he would fly into a temper tantrum if he didn’t get his way. He occasionally would start fistfights with those who disagreed with him. In short, Rudy was known as a slave driver. But Rudy was one of the first to book black entertainers on his radio program and he liked to appear before black audiences.

By the 1930s Rudy ranked up there with Bing Crosby and the tragic Russ Columbo. It must be remembered it was radio that gave the crooner with the soft baritone voice the audience he needed for real success. Without the aid of electronics, it was difficult to hear the baritone voice. With cocktail glasses clinking ( legal or otherwise) and crowd noise drifting to the bandstand, a singer like Rudy used the megaphone to be heard. Radio was the answer when the volume could be adjusted to hear every tone, every musical nuance that came from the pipes of singers like Rudy Vallee.

Rudy became well known for his “Hi Ho, Everybody” greeting and such songs as “I’m Just A Vagabond Lover”, and the “Maine Stein Song” along with many others. He continued to lead a band in World War II but his style was out of date even though his voice was now a deeper baritone. He made a big splash in 1961 in the Broadway hit “How to Succeed in Business Without Ever Trying.” He later starred in the movie. He would continue to appear in films, usually in comedic roles that spoofed his stiff New England style. Rudy passed away in 1986 at the age of 84. He is buried in St. Hyacinth’s Cemetery in Westbrook, Maine.

May the Vagabond Lover rest in peace.