Snooky Lanson
| Snooky Lanson | |
|---|---|
 Lanson in 1956 |
|
| Born | Roy Landman March 27, 1914 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Died | July 2, 1990 (aged 76) New York City |
| Occupation | Vocalist |
Roy Landman (March 27, 1914–July 2, 1990), better known as Snooky Lanson, was an American singer known for co-starring on the NBC television series Your Hit Parade.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Lanson was a band singer with Francis Craig's dance band before joining Hit Parade from 1950 through 1957, chosen to replace Frank Sinatra. Floor manager Fred Rogers said that Lanson often played craps behind the set with the stage hands until it was his turn to perform.[1]
After Hit Parade ended, he performed in nightclubs and on local television shows in Atlanta and Shreveport. He guest-starred in 1958 on The Gisele MacKenzie Show, MacKenzie having been a co-star with Lanson on Hit Parade. In 1961, he was one of five rotating hosts on the NBC-TV program Five Star Jubilee.
In January 1960, Crossroads TV Productions videotaped a pilot in Springfield, Missouri for a proposed pop music-variety series called Snooky Lanson Time. Guests were Brenda Lee, the Anita Kerr Singers, Betty Ann Grove and Paul Mitchell's instrumental combo.[2] He spent the 1960s to the 1980s as a Chrysler car salesman in Nashville, Tennessee.[citation needed]
Lanson died in 1990 at age 76 in New York. He was survived by his widow, a daughter, two sons and eight grandchildren.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Fred Rogers - Archive Interview Part 2 of 9". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ2slbh55uU.
- ^ "Plan New TV Series for Lanson" (January 25, 1960), The Billboard, p. 12
[edit] References
- "Plan New TV Series for Lanson" (January 25, 1960), The Billboard, p. 12
