Jazz Connection Magazine

The Modernaires Now: L to R: Bill Tracy, Paula Kelly, Jr., Martha Dickinson Martz, and Joe Croyle. The Modernaires were originally formed in 1935 and reached

stardom as members of Glenn Miller's orchestra 1941. Hal Dickinson, a founding member of the group, later married Paula Kelly, Sr., who become a member of The

Modernaires while with Miller. The couple's daughters, Paula and Martha, continues to keep the vocal group alive.

The way Paula Kelly, Jr. see it, The Modernaires were a singing group way ahead of their time. With their smooth, superbly blended and well-tuned non-vibrato style and tight-sounding five-part harmony, they helped bandleader Glenn Miller become more of a commercial success with such hits as Chattanooga Choo Choo, (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo, Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree, Juke Box Saturday Night, Moonlight Cocktail and Elmer's Tune, while going on to forge a successful career as a solo vocal group. They also set the standard for other vocal groups that followed.

"They were pretty 'hip' for the 1930s and '40s," said Kelly, Jr. via telephone from her home in Tarzana, CA. "A lot of groups, whether it be Rhythm & Blues or rock, have listened to The Modernaires and that's how they learned. Even Bob Flanigan of the Four Freshman admitted they learned a lot about singing by listening to The Modernaires."

Kelly. Jr. is part of a proud dynasty that her late father, Hal Dickinson, helped to create as a founding member of The Modernaires, and her late mother, Paula Kelly, Sr., who joined the "Mods" in 1941 as the "fifth wheel" that added a bright, feminine sound and a satisfying visual appeal to the celebrated vocal team.

The key to The Modernaires' unique sound probably lies somewhere between lots of hard work and the ability of each singer working together to produce close, beautiful harmonies, Kelly, Jr. said.

"No one could match their sparking and warm approach to a song," Kelly, Jr. said. "They had swinging vocal precision, crisp intonation and vibrant and varied harmonies."

And now Kelly, Jr. is keeping the legacy alive of the renowned group that her parents helped to make famous. The Modernaires with Paula Kelly, Jr. will perform at the Paradise Performing Arts Center in Paradise, CA, on Saturday, May 28 as part of the PPAC's annual Memorial Day weekend concert series, "Jukebox Saturday Night." The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Performing with the famed singing troupe will be the Skyliners Big Band from Chico, CA.

This will be the second time that The Modernaries and the Skyliners have teamed up for the holiday weekend performance. Previously, the two groups shared the same bill in May 2001, as part of the PPAC's "Stage Door Canteen II" show.

In addition to Kelly, Jr., rounding out The Modernaires for this performance will be Kelly, Jr.'s sisters, Martha Dickinson Martz and Julie Dickinson, Joe Croyle and Alan Copeland, who sang with the group on and off since 1948. Copeland is filling in for Modernaires regular, Bill Tracy, who is recovering from heart surgery.

"The show will be lots of fun as we will be doing all the original arrangements that the 'Mods' did during their 19-month stay with Glenn Miller," Kelly, Jr. said.

When one thinks of The Modernaires, the close association with Glenn Miller usually comes to mind. When one thinks of the Big Bands, Miller tends to top the list.

"I think Glenn Miller provided so many great dance tunes in which people loved to dance," Kelly, Jr. said. "Because of that, he had one of the most successful bands. I also think that The Modernaires helped in that respect."

The Modernaires, however, were not just a sensation that Miller happen to discover. They were organized six years prior to joining Miller in 1941 and were performing and recording with other bands of the period before Miller even formed his own outfit.

The beginnings of The Modernaires go back to 1935 in Buffalo, NY, when three high school students - Hall Dickinson, Chuck Goldstein and Bill Conway - formed a trio calling themselves "The Three Worried Willies," appearing on radio in the area. Their first major job singing with a band was with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra, calling themselves "Don Juan-Two-And-Three."

Heading to New York City, the trio recorded with Red McKenzie's Mound City Blue Blowers. Soon after, they joined Ozzie Nelson's band and became known as "The Three Wizards Of Ozzie." Next came a stint with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, where they recruited Ralph Brewster as the group's fourth voice.

In 1936, the foursome now called themselves "The Modernaires," and debuted that summer with saxophonist Charlie Barnet and his orchestra at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, NY. They also recorded some of their best known pre-Miller works with Barnet including Make Believe Ballroom (recorded Aug. 3, 1936) and The Milkman's Matinee (Sept. 24, 1936). These tunes served, respectfully, as the theme songs for noted WNEW New York City disc jockeys Martin Block and Art Ford.

The Modernaires also recorded with George Hall's band and appeared in the musical short, You Hit The Spot, with Harry Reser's orchestra. In 1938, the Mods joined the ranks of Paul Whiteman where they were featured on the portly maestro's weekly radio show and recorded seventeen sides on the Decca label, sometimes in collaboration with trombone singing great Jack Teagarden. The Modernaires' recorded output with Whiteman include I'm Coming Virginia, Jamboree Jones, I Used To Be Color Blind, Sing A Song Of Sixpence, Peelin' The Peach and Aunt Hagar's Blues (with Teagarden - all on Sept. 9, 1938); There's No Place Like Your Arms (Sept. 20, 1938); Never Felt Better, Never Had Less and I Go For That, Mutiny In The Nursery (with Teagarden and Joan Edwards), and Jeepers Creepers (with Teagarden - all on Dec. 8, 1938); and Three Little Fishies, Hooray For Spinach, Step Up And Shake My Hand, Now And Then, Mandy, and Lazy (all on April 8, 1939).

"Through all of that learning and training, the Mods were developing their unique and wonderful sound," Kelly , Jr. said.

On New Year's Eve 1939, Hal Dickinson married Paula Kelly, the pretty and talented singer from Al Donahue's society band.

Kelly was born on April 6, 1919, in Grove City, PA. She got her first professional break singing with her sisters on the Major Bowles Amateur Hour radio show, billing themselves as "The Kelly Sisters." The sister singing act won the contest and they toured with Bowles for thirteen weeks. After the tour was completed, Kelly pursued a career in singing while her sisters "retired."

"Her sisters didn't like traveling, but my mother did and so she hung in there," Kelly, Jr. said.

In 1938, Kelly joined the Al Donahue orchestra. In the two years she spent with Donahue, Kelly recorded sixty-five songs with the violin-playing bandleader.

On Jan. 13, 1941, The Modernaires joined the Miller band and were usually teamed up with Miller's popular vocalists Ray Eberle, Marion Hutton, and saxophonist/singer Gordon "Tex" Beneke. Around the same time the Mods joined Miller, Hutton left to go on maternity leave. Replacing her was Dorothy Claire from Bobby Byrne's band.

The Modernaires waxed their first sides with Miller on Jan. 17 with Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider (with Beneke on the vocal) and the ballad, You Steeped Out Of A Dream (with Eberle on the vocal). The first Miller-Modernaires hit to be recorded was Perfidia (Feb.19), with Dorothy Claire on the lead on the vocal.

On March 20 of that year, Claire left Miller to rejoin Byrne. Paula Kelly was then brought aboard as a temporary replacement as the band's girl singer. Although Chuck Goldstein could and did sing the highest of high parts, Kelly now assumed the lead vocal duties.

One of the first major hits of the Paula Kelly-Modernaires combination occurred on May 7, 1941 when the band recorded the Harry Warren and Mack Gordon tune, Chattanooga Choo Choo, that was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade, starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Milton Berle, Lynn Bari, Joan Davis and the Nicholas Brothers. With Tex Beneke joining in on the recording, Choo Choo became the first record ever to be certified as a million seller. It sold this amount within six months after its release and eventually became one of the few multi-million sellers in pre-rock-era times. (Miller subsequently was awarded with a gold-plated platter of Choo Choo on his Chesterfield broadcast on Feb. 10, 1942 - the first "gold record" trophy given to anyone.) Kelly and the Mods also appeared in the film singing the piece.

Paula Kelly and the Mods had another hit recording that appeared on the flip side of Chattanooga Choo Choo, the pretty ballad piece, I Know Why (May 7). Other chart toppers they recorded include I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest (May 28, 1941, with Ray Eberle); The Kiss Polka and Elmer's Tune (both on Aug. 11). Elmer's Tune faired well with the public and became a number one hit record in October 1941.

But by that time Hutton returned to the Miller fold and Kelly found work with clarinet playing bandleader Artie Shaw. While with Shaw, Kelly recorded three sides on the RCA Victor label: Make Love To Me (Oct. 30, 1941); Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat and I Don't Want To Walk Without You (both on Dec. 23, 1941).

Kelly's time with Miller was definitely a much more pleasant experience than the time she spent with the volatile Shaw, according to Kelly, Jr.

"Mom got so mad at Artie once that she threw an ash tray at him," Kelly, Jr. said with a laugh. "That should tell you what her assessment was of him. With Miller it was different. It was a magical time. Miller was stern but he wanted things as he did and that's why he was so successful."

The Modernaires with Paula Kelly in 1946. The Modernaires are, top left,

Hal Dickinson, Johnny Drake, Fran Scott and Ralph Brewster (front).

Meanwhile, The Modernaires kept cranking out more hits with Miller: Slumber Song (Nov. 24, 1941), a romantic ballad that featured the soft tones of the Mods. The tune replaced Moonlight Serenade as the band's theme song during the dispute between ASCAP and BMI, the two copyright collection societies in October 1940; Moonlight Cocktail (Dec. 8, 1941, with Ray Eberle); the spirited Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (Feb. 18, 1942, with Marion Hutton and Tex Beneke); (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo (with Marion Hutton and Tex Beneke) and Serenade In Blue (with Ray Eberle), both recorded on May 20, 1942, that were featured in the Miller band's second and final movie, Orchestra Wives, starring George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, Carole Landis, Caesar Romero, Lynn Bari and Jackie Gleason; and Jukebox Saturday Night (July 15, 1942, with Skip Nelson), a novelty tune which gave vocalists and sidemen an opportunity to impersonate musical personalities. Ralph Brewster spoofs two of the Ink Spots on the piece.

On Set. 27, 1942, Miller disbanded his civilian band to join the Army after playing a final concert at the Central Theater in Passaic, NJ. Soon after, the first of a series of replacements occurred with the Mods as Chuck Goldstein, one of the original thee members, left to form his own vocal quintet, "The Four Chicks And Chuck." Goldstein's new group can be heard backing up vocal star Kate Smith on her recording of the Cole Porter tune, Don't Fence Me In (1945).

The Modernaires with Glenn Miller performing during the band's Chesterfield radio show. Pictured L to R are: Bill Conway,

Ralph Brewster, Hal Dickinson, Marion Hutton, Chuck Goldstein, Tex Beneke, Ray Eberle and Glenn Miller.

By the end of 1942, the Mods joined Tex Beneke and Marion Hutton for a short time appearing as "The Glenn Miller Singers." When Beneke and Hutton left, the group became known solely as "The Modernaires" in theaters and nightclubs across America. Bill Conway, another member of the original trio, then left to join the service.

Replacements to maintain The Modernaires' unique sound was difficult and a revolving door of singers took place during the next two years. In 1943, Hal Dickinson hired Fran Scott who stayed with the group until 1959. Paula Kelly also rejoined the group.

"The breaking up of the Miller band helped to bring my parents back to singing together professionally," Kelly, Jr. said.

On March 26, 1945, The Modernaires, now consisting of Hal Dickinson, Ralph Brewster, Paula Kelly, Fran Scott and Johnny Drake, began recording as a solo unit for Columbia Records. Their label credits now read, "The Modernaires with Paula Kelly." One of the group's early hits in 1946 on Columbia was their version of To Each His Own. During their time with Columbia, The Modernaires were much in demand as a vocal group and as accompaniments to singing stars such as Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and Buddy Clark.

In late 1948, Ralph Brewster left and was replaced by Alan Copeland, who stayed on for a number of years.

The Mods have also been showcased in a number of other feature films including Crazy House, Walkin' My Baby Back Home, Latin Lovers and The Glenn Miller Story. Throughout the 1950s, the group was also a regular on Bob Crosby's Club 15 television show which aired live, five days per week on the CBS network. They also appeared on the Red Skeleton, Perry Como, and George Goebel shows and Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, among others.

When the Crosby show ended in the late 1950s, The Modernaires continued to tour and record for a number of other labels including Coral, Warner Brothers, Capitol and United Artists. To expand their Miller repertoire, Alan Copeland wrote special lyrics to a number of Glenn Miller instrumental standards, and in 1960, the Mods recorded on United Artists, The Modernaires Sing The Great Glenn Miller Instrumentals. The album was produced by Don Costa.

By 1967, The Modernaires with Paula Kelly added a sixth voice to the group when Paula Kelly, Jr. joined to sing double lead with her mother until 1971.

"Mom was wonderful in helping me prepare for singing the lead part," Kelly Jr. said. "She always told me to sing the part with authority, right or wrong."

In 1978, Paula Kelly, Sr. retired from her 35-year career as a Modernaire. She spent most of her retirement years at her home in Tarzana, CA, raising collies for show, Kelly Jr. said. Kelly, Sr. died on April 2, 1992, just four days shy of her 73rd birthday. Dickinson died in 1970.

Throughout her career, Paula Kelly, Sr. felt comfortable that her artistic expression has always been associated with vocal groups such as The Modernaires.

That's what Mom wanted," Kelly, Jr. said. "The movie people wanted her to be an actress but she had no desire to do that. She wanted to be a group singer. I think she became the best lead singer there was."

Since her mother's passing, Paula Kelly, Jr. has taken the baton in leading The Modernaires as a way of helping to perpetuate "music-in-the-Miller-mood."

Like her mother and two sisters, Martha and Julie, Kelly, Jr. was also born in Grove City, PA. She sang in school and church choirs and majored in music while in college. She previously sang with her two sisters in a trio called "The Kelly Sisters" and made several appearances on the Bob Crosby and Dean Martin television shows. She also traveled with her parents while they performed in Europe and the Orient, she said.

When it was time for the younger Kelly to turn professional, the senior Kelly was an enthusiastic supporter.

"Mom said that it was about time that I learn to sing the lead part and get paid for it," Kelly. Jr. said. "That's what I did."

By the time she did jump in to become a Modernaire, Kelly, Jr. was already prepped and had developed an appreciation for that type of music, she said.

"My folks exposed me to this type of music when I was young and I loved it," She said. "The first band I heard live was Woody Herman's when he was playing in Las Vegas. I almost fell off my chair it was so wonderful. Hearing music in person is so much different than hearing it on record."

Kelly, Jr. was tutored so well by her mother that many people who had remembered The Modernaires from an earlier time could not believe that she was not part of the original group, she said.

"Many people have come up to me to say they saw my parents when they were with Glenn Miller," Kelly, Jr. said. "It was a happy time for so many people. They don't want to believe that it was my mother up there with Miller and not me."

Although The Modernaires perform as a group about a third of the year, Kelly, Jr. also works professionally taking on acting roles and working as an extra in films. She also does precision race car driving in an around the Los Angeles area.

A single mother, Kelly, Jr. has a daughter who is interested in acting, she said. However, she does have some nieces and nephews who are "warming up in the bull pen" concerning their singing careers as future members of The Modernaires, she said.

Current regular members of The Modernaires are Martha Dickinson Martz, Bill Tracy and Joe Croyle.

Martha Dickinson Martz, Paula Kelly, Jr.'s sister, was raised and attend school in the San Fernando Valley area of California, and was always involved with school and church choirs. Following her stint with The Kelly Sisters, Dickinson-Martz went on to sing in the late 1960s with the Ed Winters Trio, a jazz group. After the passing of her father in 1970, she joined the Mods and sang, toured and traveled with them for a few years. She took a hiatus to raise her children. With that accomplished, she returned as a regular members of The Modernaires.

Bill Tracy got his start with the Bob Mitchell Boy Choir on the 1940s and early '50s. After his discharge from the U.S. Army Special Services Branch, he started recording with the Dot and Del-Fi Record labels and had several songs on the Billboard charts. In 1969, he joined comic Jackie Curtiss, and for the next ten years, the comedy team appeared repeatedly on the Tonight, Steve Allen and Merv Griffin television shows, as well as in all the top hotels, nightclubs and casinos from New York to Nevada.

Joe Croyle has been featured with Sally Struthers in her nightclub act, performing with her on the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore shows. He then went on to sing with Mama Cass Elliot, appearing at the London Palladium among other venues. He was a featured singer and dancer in Ann-Margaret's act, and from there was selected to become part of Peter Marshall's group, "Chapter Five," where he re remained for eight years, appearing in major U.S. cities and on television, including a command performance for President Jimmy Carter at the White House. Croyle's voice can he heard in countless radio and television jingles. He has also performed in many industrial shows and MC'd for many national beauty pageants.

Copeland is an alumnus of the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir with which he appeared in several classic films such as Yankee Doodle Dandy with James Cagney, and Angels With Dirty Faces with Cagney and Pat O'Brien. Beginning in 1939, he sang with the Jan Garber band until he became a Modernaire in 1948. He remained with The Modernaires until 1956, at which time, he took a leave of absence to appear for three years on Your Hit Parade. He then rejoined The Modernaires and remained with them through 1964. The next several years found him writing and arranging for the big bands of Count Basie, David Rose and Les Brown. He arranged music for Sarah Vaughn and Dick Haymes, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and for many guests on the Henry Mancini television series.

In 1996, The Modernaires - Paula Kelly, Jr., Martha Dickinson Martz, Alan Copeland, and Bill Tracy - recorded the CD, The Modernaires Now (Alpha Omega Records), music made famous by Glenn Miller and other bands and singers of the Big Band Era. The Mods were backed up by trombonist Bill Tole and his Orchestra. Special guest artist Tex Beneke joined in on the fun singing Chattanooga Choo Choo and Kalamazoo. It would be Beneke's final recorded work. He died on May 30, 2000, at age 86.

"Tex really knew me before I was born," Kelly, Jr. said. "He was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. We miss him dearly."

Other selections on the CD include renditions of Dream and On The Sunny Side Of The Street made famous by The Modernaires' vocal rivals, The Pied Pipers and The Sentimentalists, who sang with Tommy Dorsey. Both The Mods and The Pied Pipers were the two premiere vocal groups singing with top name bands back in the early 1940s.

The New Modernaires L to R: Joe Croyle, Martha Dickinson Martz, Paula Kelly, Jr., and Bill Tracy, stand in front of a display honoring The

Modernaires at the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in Sharon, PA, on Oct. 20, 2000.

To honor their distinctiveness, The Modernaires with Paula Kelly, Jr. were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Sharon, PA, on Oct. 20, 2000.

"The Modernaires were a part of Americana and are the premiere vocal group," Kelly, Jr. said about the group's legacy. "Their sound seemed to appeal to everybody."

*** The Modernaires with Paula Kelly. Jr. will perform with the Skyliners Big Band for "Juke Box Saturday Night" on Saturday, May 28, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. at the Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunnely Road, Paradise, CA. Tickets are $28, $24, $20 and $12 (Child/Student). Add $2 at the door. For ticket information, call the PPAC Box Office at (530) 872-8454. ***