Harry Babbitt obit

[Brad]

I'm sure lots of Benny fans enjoy "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge". Not precisely a Benny associate (although Phil Harris did fill in for Kay Kyser one summer, I believe)

Sadly, we just lost Harry Babbitt (Kyser's falsetto/tenor singer). This is not unexpected, but I believe that this was the last major Kyser member to pass on to the great orchestra in the sky.

I'm really bummed out about this.

-Brad



http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... _babbitt_4

Singer Harry Babbitt Dies at Age 90
Fri Apr 23, 9:06 AM ET


LOS ANGELES - Harry Babbitt, who sang in his warm, high-baritone voice with the Kay Kyser big band on such hits as "The White Cliffs of Dover" and who voiced the laugh of Woody Woodpecker, has died. He was 90.


AP Photo



Babbitt, of Newport Beach, died April 9 of old age in a nursing home, said his son Michael.


Babbitt sang with the Kyser band from 1938 to about 1949 but also served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946.


Dubbed "Handsome Harry" by Kyser, Babbitt sang on several hits, including "Three Little Fishies," "On A Slow Boat to China," "(Lights Out) `Til Reveille," "He Wears a Pair of Silver Wings," "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle" and "The Umbrella Man."


Babbitt's high voice was later used on a solo recording of "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," for which he included a lisp. He was even responsible for the laugh on "Woody Woodpecker," Kyser's 1948 hit novelty tune.


Babbitt also appeared in seven movies that starred Kyser and was featured on "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a popular comedy-musical radio quiz show on NBC.


Babbitt retired from show business in 1964 and started a successful career in real estate.


After Kyser died in 1985, Babbitt obtained rights to the band's name and catalog from Kyser's widow and toured the country with a new band. He stopped performing in the mid-1990s.


Babbitt is survived by his wife of 69 years, Betty; sons Christopher, Michael and Stephen; a brother, Bob; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

[LLeff]

Babbitt's high voice was later used on a solo recording of "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," for which he included a lisp. He was even responsible for the laugh on "Woody Woodpecker," Kyser's 1948 hit novelty tune.

Is this right? It sounds very wrong to me. George Rock voiced the famous Spike Jones "All I Want for Christmas" side...did Babbitt cover it? Also...there a court case between Walter Lantz and Mel Blanc over the Woody Woodpecker laugh, but I never heard Harry Babbitt's name mentioned in it. Any truth to these two assertions?

[Brad]

Babbitt's high voice was later used on a solo recording of "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," for which he included a lisp. He was even responsible for the laugh on "Woody Woodpecker," Kyser's 1948 hit novelty tune.

Is this right? It sounds very wrong to me. George Rock voiced the famous Spike Jones "All I Want for Christmas" side...did Babbitt cover it? Also...there a court case between Walter Lantz and Mel Blanc over the Woody Woodpecker laugh, but I never heard Harry Babbitt's name mentioned in it. Any truth to these two assertions?

The "Woody Woodpecker" bit has been in the news....but I agree with you, this doesn't sound right. The "All I Want For Christmas" I am familiar with certainly sounds like Babbitt's falsetto, maybe he did cover it.

Never cared for cartoons (I know, un-American) so I'm not the guy to ask.

[JB Fan]

Harry Babbitt did indeed provide Woody's laugh on the Kay Kyser record but Mel Blanc created the laugh and recorded the song in 1948 with the Sportsmen Quartet -- the record sold over 1 million copies!