De Leath was an early exponent of a style of vocalizing known as crooning.
She was born as Leonore Vonderlieth in the town of Mount Pulaski, Illinois in 1894. Her parents were George and Catherine Vonderlieth. At age 12, Leonore relocated to Los Angeles with her mother and sister, where she finished high school and studied music. While at Mills College, she began writing songs, but dropped out to pursue a singing career. She then adopted the stage name "Vaughn De Leath." Her vocals ranged from soprano to deep contralto. De Leath adapted to the emerging, less restrictive jazz vocal style of the late 1910s and early 1920s.
In January 1920, the inventor and radio pioneer Lee DeForest, brought her to his studio in New York City's World Tower, where De Leath sang "Swanee River" in a cramped room. Most radio listeners at the time were only equipped with crystal radio, which limited audio fidelity. This performance is sometimes cited as the first live singing broadcast (although this is disputed by some historians). According to some historical accounts of this incident, having been advised that high notes sung in her natural soprano might shatter the fragile vacuum tubes of her carbon microphone's amplifier, De Leath switched to a deep contralto and in the process invented "crooning", which became the dominant pop vocal styling for the next three decades.
By 1921, in the formative years of commercial radio, De Leath began singing at WJZ, in Newark, New Jersey (a station later known as WABC in New York City). She also performed on the New York stage in the early to mid-1920s, but radio became her primary medium, and she made a name for herself as a radio entertainer.
Her recording career began in 1921. Over the next decade she recorded for a number of labels, including Edison, Columbia, Okeh, Gennett, Victor, and Brunswick. She occasionally recorded for major label subsidiaries under various pseudonyms. These included Gloria Geer, Mamie Lee, Sadie Green, Betty Brown, Nancy Foster, Marion Ross, Glory Clark, Angelina Marco, and Gertrude Dwyer. De Leath had a highly versatile range of styles, and as material required could adapt as a serious balladeer, playful girl, vampish coquette, or vaudeville comedienne.
De Leath's recording accompanists included some of the major jazz musicians of the 1920s, including cornetist Red Nichols, trombonist Miff Mole, guitarists Dick McDonough and Eddie Lang, and bandleader Paul Whiteman. She demonstrated a high level of instrumental ability on the ukulele, and occasionally accompanied herself on recordings. In performance she played banjo, guitar, and piano. She also recorded ukulele instruction records.
In 1923, she became one of the first female executives to manage a radio station, WDT, in New York City, on which she also performed. In 1928, she appeared on an experimental television broadcast, and later became a special guest for the debut broadcast of Voice of Firestone Radio Hour. She also was one of the first American entertainers to broadcast to Europe via transatlantic radio transmission.
De Leath made her last recording in 1931 for the Crown label. She made her final nationwide network performances in the early 1930s. In her waning years, she made radio appearances on local New York stations, including WBEN in Buffalo.
Her 1925 hit recording, "Ukulele Lady", was used in the 1999 film, The Cider House Rules.
One of her hit songs, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," recorded in 1927, achieved fame when it became a hit for Elvis Presley in 1960.
In 1931, De Leath sued Kate Smith for using the "First Lady of the Radio" designation. Although Smith desisted for a time, she resumed the mantle after De Leath's death.
De Leath was married twice, to Leon Geer (an artist whom she married in 1924, and from whom she was divorced in 1935), and then to Irwin Rosenbloom, a musician.
Prior to her death in Buffalo, New York, she had had considerable financial difficulties, complicated by a drinking problem which contributed to her early death. Her obituary in The New York Times stated her age at death as 42. Her ashes were buried in her childhood home of Mount Pulaski, Illinois.
The Man I Love
Vaughn De Leath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night I dream a little dream
And of course Prince Charming is the theme
The he for me
Although I realize as well as you
It is seldom that a dream comes true
To me it's clear
That he'll appear
Some day he'll come along
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay
He'll look at me and smile
I'll understand
And in a little while
He'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two
From which I'll never roam
Who would, would you?
And so all else above
I'm waiting for the man I love
The song "The Man I Love" composed by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 is a classic ballad that was written for their Broadway musical, "Lady, Be Good!" A lot of people have recorded this song but Vaughn De Leath's version stands out as one of the best. In the song, the singer explains that every night as she looks at the mellow moon, she dreams of finding her Prince Charming. She is hopeful that one day, the man she loves will come along and that he will be big and strong. When this happens, she will do everything in her power to make sure that he stays with her.
One interesting aspect of the song is the way the lyrics are written. They express a sense of longing and hope that is quite palpable. They convey the feeling of someone who is waiting for that one person who will complete them, and who will bring meaning to their life. The lyrics are also quite vivid and conjure up images of a young woman standing in the moonlight, looking up at the sky and dreaming of a future that may or may not come to pass.
Another interesting fact about the song is the way it has been interpreted over the years. Different singers have approached the song in different ways, bringing their own unique style and interpretation. Some have emphasized the melancholy aspect of the song, while others have focused on the hope and optimism inherent in the lyrics. Regardless of how the song is interpreted, it remains a timeless classic that speaks to the universal human desire for love and companionship.
Chords:
Verse 1:
E F#m7 B7 E
When the mellow moon begins to beam
F#m7 B7 E
Ev'ry night I dream a little dream
E F#m7 B7 E
And of course Prince Charming is the theme,
The he for me.
Chorus:
E F#7
Although I realize as well as you
B7 E
It is seldom that a dream comes true,
E7 A A7
To me it's clear
Verse 2:
E F#m7 B7 E
That he'll appear. Some day he'll come along
F#m7 B7 E
The man I love, and he'll be big and strong,
E F#m7 B7 E
And when he comes my way I'll do my best to make him stay.
Chorus:
E F#7
He'll look at me and smile, I'll understand,
B7 E
And in a little while he'll take my hand
E7 A A7
And he'll lead me through a life that I'll adore.
Verse 3:
E F#m7 B7 E
Promising I'll be, so much in love with him,
F#m7 B7 E
And so all else above I'm waiting for the man I love.
Line by Line Meaning
When the mellow moon begins to beam
Every night, when the moon is out, I start to dream
Every night I dream a little dream
I dream a fairytale where I meet the perfect man
And of course Prince Charming is the theme
The man of my dreams is handsome, charming and perfect in every way
The he for me
This man is made just for me
Although I realize as well as you
I know and acknowledge that this may never come true
It is seldom that a dream comes true
Dreams, especially ones like mine, rarely come to fruition
To me it's clear
But in my mind, it's certain that he will appear
That he'll appear
One day, the man of my dreams will come to me
Some day he'll come along
One day, he will come into my life
The man I love
This man is the one I have been waiting for, and I'll love him more than anyone else
And he'll be big and strong
The man I'm waiting for will be physically and emotionally strong
And when he comes my way
When he finally comes into my life
I'll do my best to make him stay
I'll do everything in my power to keep him by my side
He'll look at me and smile
When he sets his eyes on me, his face will light up with happiness
I'll understand
I'll know exactly what he means without him having to say anything
And in a little while
After a short period of time
He'll take my hand
He'll reach out and grasp my hand
And though it seems absurd
Although it may seem foolish or unlikely
I know we both won't say a word
Neither of us will need to express our love for each other in words
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
It could be that I'll meet him on a Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not
It's possible I could meet him on a Monday, or maybe I won't
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Regardless, I have faith that I'll meet him someday
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
It's possible that I could find out that he's finally coming into my life on a Tuesday
He'll build a little home
The man of my dreams will build me a cozy and secure home
Just meant for two
It will be our private and intimate space for just the two of us
From which I'll never roam
I'll spend the rest of my life with him in that home, never venturing far away
Who would, would you?
Why would I ever want to leave that home or him?
And so all else above
In spite of everything else, above all else
I'm waiting for the man I love
I'm still waiting for the man I love, and I'll keep my faith and hope that he'll come to me someday
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brockshields9336
A great Whiteman Columbia Potato-Head label 78. One of my favorites in my Columbia Viva-Tonal shellac collection. Volume and richness in tonal quality seems a bit lacking but still quite enjoyable without having to crank up the Victor Orthophonic.
Vaughan DeLeath, such a sexy voice. Your one photo of a pretty, voluptuous gal. Nice.
I wish she'd done more with Pops' orchestra!
@Edwin48100
I love Vaughn De Leath's singing. Wonderful record!
@TheBearcub410
love this song so much , and miss de leath what can I say a star in the heaven's