American singer-songwriter
Joan Whitney Kramer (June 26, 1914 – July 12, 1990), also known as Zoe Parenteau and Joan Whitney , was an American
singer and
songwriter .
[1]
[2]
Early years
Born as Zoe Parenteau in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 26, 1914,
[3]
[4] Parenteau received her early music training while singing in the choir of the church she attended.
[5]
[6]
She subsequently attended
Finch College in
New York City .
[6]
Career, name change and marriage
Professionally, Parenteau pursued voice studies with
Alex Kramer , with whom she later collaborated on multiple songs, including "
Candy ", "
Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens " and "
Far Away Places ."
[6]
In 1934, while playing a showgirl in
The Great Waltz on
Broadway , Parenteau took the
stage name Joan Whitney .
[4] She appeared in that production for two years. She also became known for her singing appearances with the bands of
Will Osbourne and
Leo Reisman .
[3]
[6]
In August 1944, she appeared in concert in
Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, as part of the world premiere of "A Salute to the Composers of America's Popular Songs." The orchestra was conducted by
Sigmund Romberg and the master of ceremonies was
Oscar Hammerstein II . The list of participating performers included Romberg, Kramer and
Richard Rodgers , as well as
Harry Armstrong ,
Abel Baer ,
Peter DeRose ,
Milton Drake ,
Dorothy Fields ,
Ray Henderson ,
Al Hoffman ,
Herman Hupfeld ,
Jerry Livingston ,
Luckey Roberts ,
Nat Simon ,
Harry Tierney , and
Charles Tobias .
[7]
Whitney subsequently married her mentor and collaborator, Alex Kramer. She and Kramer had one son, Doren, while living in
Forest Hills, New York .
[6]
Honors
Joan Whitney Kramer and her husband, Alex, were nominated to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.
[6]
Death
Kramer died on July 12, 1990, in
Westport, Connecticut at the age of seventy-six from
Alzheimer's disease .
[3]
[6]
Songs written
"
Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens " (1946)
"Behave Yourself"
"Comme Ci Comme Ca" -English lyrics by- Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer -music by- Bruno Coquatrix (1949)
"Deep as the River" (recorded by
Harry Belafonte in 1949)
"
Far Away Places " (1948)
"
High on a Windy Hill " (1940)
"I Only Saw Him (You) Once" (1947)
"
Love Somebody " (1947)
"Money Is the Root of All Evil (Take It Away Take It Away Take It Away)" (1945)
"No Man Is an Island"
"That's The Way It Is" (1945)
"Why Is It?" (1940)
with
Mack David and Alex Kramer
with
Hy Zaret and Alex Kramer
"I'm Not Afraid" (1952)
"It All Comes Back To Me Now" (1940)
"Got A Letter From My Kid Today" (1940)
"
My Sister and I " (1941)
"So You're The One" (1940)
"The Doll With A Sawdust Heart" (1951)
"To Be Loved By You" (1952)
"You'll Never Get Away" (1952)
[8]
"Christmas Roses" (1952)
[9]
References
^ "
Joan Whitney Kramer; Singer and Songwriter ." Los Angeles, California: The Los Angeles Times , August 4, 1990, p. A31 (subscription required).
^ "
Joan Whitney Kramer, Singer and Songwriter, 76 ." New York, New York: The New York Times , July 21, 1990, Section 1, p. 27 (subscription required).
^
a
b
c "Joan Whitney Kramer; Singer and Songwriter," The Los Angeles Times , August 4, 1990, p. A31.
^
a
b Clay, Leslie (2013).
Sisters In Song; Women Hymn Writers . Compass Flower Press.
ISBN
9781936688760 . Retrieved 23 July 2016 .
^
"Can You Tell a Comer? Listen for These!" . The Mason City Globe-Gazette . Iowa, Mason City. The Mason City Globe-Gazette. July 6, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via
Newspapers.com .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g "Joan Whitney Kramer, Singer and Songwriter, 76," The New York Times , July 21, 1990, Section 1, p. 27.
^ "
At the Dell: Heifetz Here as Soloist in Final Week ." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer , July 30, 1944, p. 37 (subscription required).
^
"You'll never get away [music] / words and music by Joan Whitney, Alex Kramer and Hy Zaret. - Version details - Trove" . Trove.nla.gov.au . Retrieved 2017-07-01 .
^ Variety (1952).
Variety (December 1952) . Media History Digital Library. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company.
External links
International National Artists People