Bob Eberly
b. 24 July 1916, Mechanicville, New York, USA. One of the most popular band vocalists of the '40s, Eberly's success was linked with that of Helen O'Connell, with whom he recorded a number of tempo-switching hit records. Eberly changed his surname early in his career to avoid confusion with his younger brother Ray Eberle, who sang with the Glenn Miller civilian band. He worked around New York, winning an AMATEUR HOUR contest hosted by Fred Allen. On joining the Dorsey Brothers’ Band in 1935, Eberly remained with Jimmy Dorsey after the brothers split, appearing with the band on the Kraft Music Hall radio shows, often vocalizing on arrangements penned for Bing Crosby. In 1939 Helen O'Connell joined the band and she and Eberly struck up a productive partnership that resulted in Dorsey's version of Amapola becoming a US number 1 hit in early 1941. The record, which featured Eberly taking the opening chorus in ballad fashion, followed by a swing-tempo instrumental passage and then a third time change as O'Connell took the song out in best grandstanding style, set a pattern which was followed by similar productions on such other hits as Green Eyes, Yours and Tangerine. The ensuing acclaim meant that Eberly was offered several lucrative contracts but he declined to go solo and remained with the Dorsey band until December 1943, when he entered the army, spending some time as vocalist with Wayne King's army band. During the two years that Eberly was in the forces, his popularity took a tumble and though he returned to a singing career as a solo act, he never attained previous heights. After earlier film apperances in The Fleet's In and I DOOD IT, he guested in the screen biography The Fabulous Dorseys which was released in 1947. In the '50s and '60s he featured regularly on US television, and sometimes toured with Helen O'Connell in nostalgia package shows. He was still singing occasionally in nightclubs during the '70s.