For a number of reasons, one of the very biggest years in Vaughn Monroe’s career was 1949.

While vocalists had taken over popular music and other big bands were struggling for survival,

Monroe seemed to weather that storm better than most, since he was primarily a singing leader.

He continued to direct an orchestra that topped two dozen instrumentalists plus featured two

vocal quartets. But how could he afford such a payroll?

It was in 1949 that he recorded several more of his huge hits for RCA Victor, kept performing

in-person at high-profile venues as well as numerous one-night stands, and appeared in a

successful, full-length feature film.

THIS IS Vaughn Monroe, 1949...

In 1949, Vaughn Monroe’s Orchestra included such instrumentalists as the excellent lead alto

saxophonist Andrew J. “Andy” Bagni (1907-1984), the skilled tenor saxophonist and novelty

vocalist Zigmund “Ziggy” Talent (1912-1997), and expert guitarist John “Bucky” Pizzarelli

(1926-2020). Monroe himself could play the trombone and the trumpet.

First-rate drummer Eddie Julian (1918-1997), who had worked with Monroe since 1942, has

his back to the camera. Note the female vocalist reading the lyrics from a sheet.

Traveling 50,000 miles annually aboard their bus nicknamed “Spitfire,” Vaughn Monroe and his

Orchestra kept a busy round of one-night stands and other engagements in 1949, such as

appearing at The Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 7th through the 13th.

Variety and showmanship were part of those and other Monroe performances, as illustrated by

the example of these photographs of his stage show in 1949.

Monroe is seen in recording for RCA Victor in 1949.

Vaughn Monroe shares the microphone with his male quartet, The Moon Men. He also

featured a female quartet known as The Moon Maids. (Both names reflected Monroe’s theme

song, which was Racing with the Moon.)

Monroe and part of his Orchestra’s string section. Note for the purpose of recording

how the parts of the band are separated.

Monroe’s biggest record hit of the year, Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend), was done in

RCA Victor’s Chicago studios (probably at 445 N. Lake Shore Dr.) on March 14, 1949, stayed at

#1 on the Billboard charts for 12 weeks, and earned him a gold record for one million sales.

But it wasn’t the only hit record during that time. Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You) was

another #1 smash, recorded in New York City on May 16, 1949.

Also in the top 10 during 1949 were Monroe’s vocals on Red Roses for a Blue Lady and That

Lucky Old Sun.

Not everything Monroe did for RCA Victor in 1949 was successful, evidenced by such titles as

My Hot Tamale Went Chilly On Me and, a Ziggy Talent vocal, Gee, It’s Tough to be a Skunk.

Monroe made his third full-length motion picture, “Singing Guns,” in 1949.

He was cast as a Western outlaw named “Rhiannon,” who steals gold being carried on the

stagecoach and one day shoots the sheriff. Ironically, after he takes the wounded sheriff to a local

doctor, he is deputized for saving his life and becomes torn between more crime and his possible

new life.

One of the songs featured in the picture by Monroe was Mule Train and it received an

Academy Award nomination for “Best Song.” Though singer Frankie Laine’s Columbia recording

became #1, Monroe’s, for RCA Victor, also made it into the top 10.

As he had been for the whole decade, Vaughn Monroe was still a favorite of many dancers in

1949. Besides his top hits which everyone seemed to enjoy, his music that year had appeal for

the teenagers, with pop songs like So This Is Love, Don’t Cry Joe, and Singing My Way Back

Home, and for older dancers, who might have asked for the familiar What Is This Thing Called

Love?, Avalon, or Vieni Su (Say You Love Me Too).

In 1949, the official “Racing with the Moon” Vaughn Monroe Music Club published its fan

newsletter, “The Monroe Messenger.”

Monroe himself was the Club’s Honorary President, with his wife, Marian (1912-2013), and

his father, Ira (1886-1966), were Honorary Members of the Club.

In the December issue of “The Monroe Messenger,” Vaughn wrote a personal note to the

membership:

“Dear Members -

As another year comes

to a close - we all want to thank

our many friends for the wonderful

help and good wishes you

have given us in the past years -

and hope in the years to come

we will endeavor to bring you as

much enjoyment as we

possibly can. Have a Merry

Xmas and a Happy Prosperous New Year -

Sincerely

Vaughn”

source acknowledgements:

Charles Garrod and Bill Korst. Vaughn Monroe And His Orchestra, 1940-1954 (Zephyrhills, FL:

Joyce Record Club, 1986), pp.27-29.

Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society. New England Conservatory Archives Vaughn Monroe

Scrapbook Volumes 1 and 2 ( [ s.l. ]: Vaughn Monroe Appreciation Society, 2005).

Joel Whitburn. Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890-1954 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record

Research Inc., 1986, p.319.

image attribution:

Stanley Kubrick for Look magazine, Museum of the City of New York, X2011-4.11807.

Popa Family Collection.