Kathryn Grayson
Kathryn Grayson was a coloratura soprano who made her mark in lavish movie musicals such as Kiss Me Kate and Show Boat. She made recordings and sang in concert, in nightclubs, and on radio and television. She also took to the opera stage, appearing in productions of La Boheme, La Traviata, and Madame Butterfly.
Born on February 9, 1922, in Winston-Salem, NC, Grayson grew up in St. Louis, the third child born in a family headed by a father who worked in real estate. During her childhood she studied opera and later trained at the Chicago Civic Opera under the tutelage of Francis Marshall. By the time she was 15 years old, she had a contract with RCA Red Seal Records. Opera, however, received short shrift after MGM head Louis B. Mayer got a glimpse of Grayson and heard her sing. He offered the soprano a movie contract with no screen test requirement. By 1943, Grayson's magnificent voice, angelic face, and heavenly figure brought her stardom. In addition to MGM, she also appeared in movies made by Paramount and Warner Bros.
Grayson's personal life turned out to be more problematic than her career. In 1940, she married for the first time, eloping at the age of 18. Her union with actor John Shelton underwent seven separations and reunions before the couple called it quits in 1946. Grayson married again the following year. Her union with singer Johnny Johnston produced a daughter, but the couple separated not long after the child's arrival. They reconciled once, but divorced in 1952. Their daughter spent almost a year recovering from a dislocated hip that occurred when she was an infant.
The singer received a Sarah Siddons Award nomination for her performance in The Merry Widow. For more than a decade, beginning in 1988, she toured in An Evening with Kathryn Grayson. She took to the stage from 1994 to 1997 with Van Johnson in a production of Love Letters, and the pair followed up with Red Sox and Roses. On February 17, 2010, Kathryn Grayson died at the age of 88 in her Los Angeles area home.
© Linda Seida /TiVo
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Lovely to Look At (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Howard Keel
Film Soundtracks - Released by Music Manager on 22 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll See You Again: Kathryn Grayson in Opera and Song
Pop - Released by Flare Records on 31 Jan 2020
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Time After Time
International Pop - Released by Planet Blue Records USA on 1 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Be My Love
Film Soundtracks - Released by Classic Records on 21 Dec 2010
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Cole Porter: Kiss Me Kate (Album of 1953)
Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, André Previn & MGM Studio Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by Soundtrack on 25 Feb 2023
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Remember The Night
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Flare Records on 25 Sep 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Heart Sings
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Flare Records on 4 Sep 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Desert Song
Soundtracks - Released by Stage Door on 5 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat, Vol. 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Howard Keel, Betty Hutton, Kathryn Grayson
Film Soundtracks - Released by Supreme Media on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat, Vol. 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Howard Keel, Betty Hutton, Kathryn Grayson
Film Soundtracks - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat
Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel
Literature - Released by Music Manager on 16 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Show Boat (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Foyer on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anchors Aweigh
Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly
Literature - Released by Music Manager on 16 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nostalgic Memories-The Very Best Of Kathryn Grayson-Vol. 143
Jazz - Released by RP-DSP on 23 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Always
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 31 Dec 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Vocal Jazz - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Jul 2009
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The Very Best Of
Vocal Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Desert Song
Literature - Released by Performance on 5 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stranger in Paradise
Pop - Released by Dobre Records on 24 Dec 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enduring Ballads & Silver Screen Favourites
Pop - Released by Synergie OMP on 20 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Kathryn Grayson
Jazz - Released by Ap music on 28 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo