The Modernaires

This Buffalo-formed swing group originally consisted of (Harold) Harold Dickinson, Bill Conway and Chuck Goldstein when formed in 1935. The three high school buddies moved to New York the following year and began recording with various jazz bands, subsequently adding Ralph Brewster to make the group a richer quartet. They soon became a radio favorite and, in 1938, found employment with Paul Whiteman and Orchestra. In 1941, Glenn Miller signed them on, giving them their biggest break yet. Not long after, Harold Dickinson married singer Paula Kelly and she was added to the group which gave the quintet their most distinctive sound yet. Such hit standards produced during their lucrative Miller period included "I've Got a Girl in Kalamazoo" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo", among others. In 1942, Miller disbanded with the looming presence of WWII and his impending military duty. Following this period, there were many changes in the group. Original tenor Chuck Goldstein left to form his own group ("The Four Chicks and Chuck") and another founding member, Bill Conway, split to join the war. Others coming and going in the group would include Fran Scott, Johnny Drake and Alan Copeland. In occasional guest singing spots with such war-era films as Orchestra Wives (1942), Crazy House (1943) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941), the group became a TV variety staple in the 1950s working alongside such talent as Bob Crosby and Perry Como. After their heyday, they continued in clubs and nostalgia concerts lasting nearly five decades.