Nancy Evans (5)

American radio and big band singer from Chicago, best known for singing with Wayne King And His Orchestra from the mid-1940s to early 1950s, and again in the 1960s. Prior to joining Wayne King's orchestra, Evans was already an experienced performer. She had had her own radio program on KNX in California, worked in her mother's revue, and sang with Lew Pollack's band. When she was a teenager, she had taken vocal coaching from a Chicago opera singer, and performed with the Chicago Light Opera Company in "The Pirates of Penzance." She had toured with the Biltmore Boys, and worked at an Indianapolis radio station. In 1944, she had returned to Chicago, and was spotted by King while doing a guest appearance on Don McNeill's Breakfast Club. With King, she toured, performed on radio and TV shows, and sang on recordings. In the early 1950s, she grew tired of the hectic schedule, and left King's troupe. She moved to New York and got on various radio and TV shows. She worked with Bob And Ray, and did commercials for companies like Sears, Roebuck and Co. At some point of her career, she also worked with Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante, Paul Whiteman (1952), and Garry Moore. By 1956, she had gotten married and returned to Chicago. She got her first child in 1958, and she semi-retired after that, singing in a choir and doing commercials. Later in the 1960s, she rejoined Wayne King and toured with his band for several years part-time. In the early 1970s she moved to Florida. Born: 15 May 1922 in Chicago, Illinois, USA Died: 15 January 2014 in Sarasota, Florida, USA