December 20, 1969(1969-12-20) (aged 66) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Big band
Occupation(s)
Singer, disc jockey
Instrument(s)
Saxophone
Musical artist
Laurel Kenneth Sargent (March 3, 1906 – December 20, 1969)[1] was an American big band vocalist and saxophonist, primarily known for his work with the Casa Loma Orchestra in the 1930s and 40s.[2]
Born in Centralia, Illinois, Sargent was hired by Glen Gray of the Casa Loma Orchestra in the spring of 1931.[3] He was the Casa Loma Orchestra's primary vocalist and a saxophonist in the late 1930s and early 40s. He had a smooth, high baritone singing voice. He recorded many popular ballads, including "It's the Talk of the Town", which was high on the national charts. Other popular songs he recorded are "Blue Moon", "City Called Heaven", "When I Grow Too Old to Dream".[4] He performed the vocals in the first recording of the standard "You Go to My Head".[4]
Sargent left the band in 1943 to begin a career as a disc jockey, first at WHHMinMemphis, Tennessee.[5] He later was a well-known radio personality in Dallas, Texas at radio stations KLIF (AM) and WRR in the 1950s and 1960s.
^ abTyler, Don. (2007). Hit songs, 1900-1955 : American popular music of the pre-rock era. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN9780786429462. OCLC76961274.
^"(WHHM ad)"(PDF). Broadcasting. May 17, 1948. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
