Topic: Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, the singer whose muscular voice featured in 21 gold records including (YOU TUBE VIDEO) "That's My Desire", ``Mule Train,'' ``That Lucky Old Sun'' and ``Rawhide,'' died 6 FEB 2007 from heart failure in San Diego, the Associated Press reported. He was 93.
Laine sold more than 100 million records and was at the height of his popularity from 1947 to 1954, though he also sang the theme from the 1974 film ``Blazing Saddles.'' His career spanned almost 50 years and he was feted by 1,500 fans on his 90th birthday in 2003 at an event in San Diego, where he had lived since 1968.
Although Laine was often identified with the Western tunes he sang -- including ``Gunfight at the OK Corral'' and a hit version of ``High Noon'' -- he was at heart a jazz singer and one of the first white performers to embrace rhythm and blues. ...more obit. | Fan Site
Updated: Wednesday, 7 February 2007 11:18 AM EST