Haines, Connie

▪ 2009

Yvonne Marie Antoinette JaMais 

      American singer

born Jan. 20, 1921, Savannah, Ga.

died Sept. 22, 2008, Clearwater Beach, Fla.

was a petite but powerful vocalist who performed with Frank Sinatra in the big swing bands of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey and went on to make more than 200 solo recordings, 25 of which sold more than 50,000 copies. Some of her best-known songs include “Let's Get Away from It All,” “Friendship,” “What Is This Thing Called Love?,” and “Snootie Little Cutie.” As a child, Haines was billed on radio as “Baby Yvonne Marie, the Little Princess of the Air.” After winning numerous talent contests, she joined James's band at age 18 and changed her surname to sound like his. Her duos with Sinatra included the popular “Oh Look at Me Now” and “You Might Have Belonged to Another.” In addition, “the Nightingale from Savannah” appeared (1942–46) on the Abbott and Costello radio show, in several films (notably, Duchess of Idaho [1950] and Birth of a Band [1954]), and with singer Beryl Davis and Hollywood stars Jane Russell and Rhonda Fleming in a gospel quartet; the quartet scored a hit with “Do Lord.” Haines remained active into her 80s, singing in nightclubs, cabarets, and big band revivals.

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