Marlene VerPlanck, a polished jazz vocalist who began her recording career in 1955, had a strong second career in the 1960s and '70s as a prolific jingle singer, sang backup on Frank Sinatra's Trilogy album, recorded solo albums throughout the '80s and '90s, and had a third career recently as she toured and performed to critical acclaim in the States and abroad, died January 14. She was 84.
Despite being diagnosed in November with pancreatic cancer, Marlene continued to sing in New York and New Jersey, and planned to perform into the spring, according to her site. Marlene preferred to keep the bad news to herself, sparing herself the unwanted pity of friends and avoiding becoming the cause of their lowered spirits. Marlene wasn't big on the blues.
Relentlessly upbeat and determined, Marlene in recent years was tireless. She sustained injuries following accidental falls but made her gigs anyway, despite the pain and need for care. The hospital or doctors were consulted after the music, which was always her priority. Even in December, when the trip to local venues to perform resulted in complete exhaustion given her condition, she would sing as many songs as she could in perfect form, never once letting on that she was gravely ill. Her sparkling eyes never betrayed her fear or the illness that had taken hold of her. She always delivered a good time at clubs and wasn't going to let her illness get in her way.
Marlene was a dear and generous friend, and a constant email companion. A ferocious fan of JazzWax, she would from time to time mischievously drop off at my apartment a loving tin of her remarkable eggplant parmigiana and a fresh-baked roll. She was a terrific cook who had grown up in her family's Italian restaurant in New Jersey. Her enclosed note would express concern that my work schedule might be causing me not to eat. The same love she brought to the stage could be found in every bite.
A singer who came up at the tail end of the big-band era, Marlene first recorded for Savoy in early 1955. She was backed by Joe Wilder (tp), Hank Jones (p), Eddie Jones (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). "They couldn't find anyone else," she'd joke about the A-list sidemen producer Ozzie Cadena pulled together for her debut. That year, she toured with the Charlie Spivak band, where she met arranger Billy VerPlanck. It was love at first sight. They left Spivak together to join Tommy Dorsey's band and they married months later. Billy was the love of her life and would later arrange the music on several of her albums.
By the late 1950s, Marlene sang the hot notes in the John LaSalle Quartet, a singing trio plus Marlene (she's on the cover above). But in the 1960s, as the demand for jazz singers declined, Marlene smoothly transitioned into the jingle-singing business. Her youthful, jazzy voice, her professionalism and her ability to swing way up and hit the highest notes led to lucrative and steady ad work in New York recording studios. Her voice was heard singing on hundreds of adds, most famously "Mmm Good" for Campbell Soup and the warm "Yeah" in Michelob beer ads. On jingles, her voice had an unmistakable optimism and came across either as the consumer's young mom or a female best friend.
For more on Marlene's long career and recordings, read my 2013 JazzWax interview here.
Here are my favorite clips of Marlene singing on recordings. You can find her many albums at Spotify or at Amazon:
Here's Marlene singing If I Love Again from her first album in 1955...
Here's Marlene with the John LaSalle Quartet in 1959 singing The Night We Called It a Day...
Here's Marlene singing Speak Low in 1993 with Saxomania in Paris...
Here's Marlene singing Hey There in 1996...
Here's Marlene singing As Far As I'm Concerned in 2010...
Here's Marlene singing Love Dance in 2012...
Here's Marlene singing How Little We Know in 2014 with Harry Allen on tenor saxophone...
Here's Marlene singing Certain People in 2015 with John Pearce on piano in the U.K. Dig that final note—in her 80s!...
And here's Marlene's voice singing on a 1970s Michelob ad...
I miss Marlene . Given her relentlessly fizzy personality, I never imagined I'd be writing this tribute. She worked hard and loved jazz right up to the end. She wouldn't have it any other way.
