Biography Connie Haines

Connie Haines (Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais, Savannah, Georgia, January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008, Clearwater Beach, Florida) was an American singer.

Connie Haines learned to sing from her mother, a voice and dance teacher. Living in Jacksonville, she began performing on the radio before the age of ten. In 1931, she appeared over NBC radio as Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air, sang with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra one year later, and in 1934 won a vocal contest on The Fred Allen Show.

Haines first big band contract was with Howard Lally. At age of 16, she was singing with Harry James’ band (her first professional gig with Frank Sinatra). Financial problems forced James to fire both Sinatra and (later) Haines; both subsequently found work with Tommy Dorsey. Beginning in 1940, Haines, Sinatra, and the Pied Pipers made Dorsey’s one of the strongest bands from a pop standpoint, and Haines appeared on several hits: “Two Dreams Met,” “Oh, Look at Me Now,” “Kiss the Boys Goodbye,” and “What Is This Thing Called Love?”

After leaving Dorsey’s band, Haines joined the Bob Crosby Orchestra in 1941. As a solo singer, she recorded singles and LPs for a variety of labels during the next few decades, and continued performing into the 90s.

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